Flamini as good a signing for Arsenal as Ozil says Smudger!!

The former Arsenal and England international striker Alan Smith always keeps a keen eye out for what is going on with the Gunners, and his latest thoughts on the current state of affairs might come as a surprise to some, but not the Arsenal fans who have been watching the performances of Mathieu Flamini. Smith feels that Flamini, who returned to Arsenal on a free transfer this summer, could be just as important to the Club as the record signing Mesut Ozil, who cost £42.5 million from Real Madrid. It is fair to say that the announcement of Flamini on a free merely fanned the flames of fans’ anger at the time, but the outlay on Ozil gave everybody a lift and put a smile on fans’ faces. Since then, we have all started to realise that the return of Flamini should not be judged on the cost, because he has been a big player in the last few games. With Arteta injured, his inclusion may actually have been crucial to our place at the top of the Premier League table. There is a rumour that Flamini threatened to blind a Stoke player who kept fouling Wilshere, which if true just shows how different he is to the likes of Arteta and Ozil. Smith, in his Telegraph column, explains that Flamini brings something to the table that Arsenal didn’t have before, the willingness and desire to do the `dirty work`. That was especially highlighted in a tough, physical encounter with Stoke, the sort of game in which Arsenal have come unstuck so many times in the past. But now we have Flamini as the glue to hold us together. Smith writes, “The Frenchman is loving the specific role assigned to him just now – to put in a foot or two, to block off a runner, to generally act as a human shield. “Flamini is a sleeves-rolled-up type of scuffler, the sort who never stops running or indeed talking.” He also makes the point that, at Arsenal, Flamini does not need to try to be clever, because he is surrounded by some of the best technical players around, such as Ozil. What Flamini brings, more than anything, is balance to a side that has often been accused of being too one-dimensional. That is why Smith nominated Flamini as Man of the Match, and why he believes he could prove as vital to a successful season for Arsenal as the German magician. Is he right?