Arsenal Transfer News: Geoffrey Kondogbia Could Prove to be a Better Signing than Morgan Schneiderlin

The two priorities for Arsenal this summer seems to be a defensive midfield cover for Francis Coquelin and that premier striker.

Even if Petr Cech has been linked heavily with a move to the Emirates this summer, Wojciech Szczesny, who has the potential to be a world-class goalkeeper, and David Ospina are still pretty good options to have for Arsene Wenger going into next season.

Therefore, the priority should be spending money on a screener of the Coquelin mould, who can play for and with the Frenchman in the middle of the park, and a striker who can take the burden off Olivier Giroud.

While the striker hunt, it seems, will go on for a fair while longer – and it won't be easy to sign one, considering the paucity of real quality strikers in the transfer market – the defensive midfield options seem to be Morgan Schneiderlin and Geoffrey Kondogbia.

Schneiderlin looked a shoo-in for a move to the Emirates before the season ended, but the form of Coquelin has reportedly forced Wenger into a rethink. While Kondogbia will also reportedly cost Arsenal the same amount as Schneiderlin -- £25million – the Monaco midfielder is only 22, while Schneiderlin will turn 26 later this year.

Admittedly, it is not that big a difference, and Schneiderlin, crucially, does come with Premier League experience, but Kondogbia is probably the better way to go for Wenger.

The youngster might not have that much of a problem being rotated along with Coquelin, if Wenger plays with just one defensive-minded midfielder, while Schneiderlin will probably expect to go straight into the starting XI, even if he is more suited to play alongside Coquelin than Kondogbia.

Wenger is all about nurturing youngsters, and having missed out on the signing of Kondogbia when he made his move from Sevilla to Monaco, the Arsenal manager might want to make a move this time around – reports suggest Wenger has already picked up the phone and spoken to Kondogbia over a potential move.

At 22, Kondogbia, who is also wanted by Inter Milan and AC Milan, can only get better, and with the youngster also providing a bit more of a physical presence in the middle, this just might prove to be one of the most important signings that Arsenal will make this summer.

Yes, £25 million is not cheap, but the midfielder certainly has the capability to turn into a world star, and with Coquelin also springing up from nowhere, the Arsenal midfield will be sorted for the next several years with the signing of Kondogbia and, don't forget, there is the talented teenager Krystian Bielik, signed in January, also waiting in the wings.