Arsenal have been linked with Everton midfielder James McCarthy from as far back as his days at Wigan Athletic. The 24 year old Republic of Ireland international is currently sidelined with a minor hamstring injury, but has been immense for Everton over the past few seasons.

McCarthy is among the names mooted as a long term replacement for Mikel Arteta (and Flamini presumably) in the middle of the park, but is he a better option than the Spaniard at the moment?

From the surface, you could would have a strong argument in McCarthy’s favour. He is 8 years the junior of Arteta and has a significant athletic advantage. Much more agile and quicker along the ground, McCarthy covers more ground and possesses much more recovery speed.

He however, like Arteta, is not a naturally defensive midfielder by trade and would have to adapt and I’m not sure another experiment is really worth it. He is more in the Ramsey mould and would take some getting used to from a deeper position.

McCarthy’s injury record is worrying as well, as hamstring problems have been reoccurring. He has missed a worrying amount of games and I’m not sure such an investment should be made for the player.

Everton are reluctant to losing the player and have offered him a new long term contract. Roberto Martinez recently spoke on the player’s reported interest as well, saying McCarthy is an important player for Everton and that he plans to keep him for the considerable future. It would probably take a substantial bid to prize the player away. He wouldn’t be my first choice replacement, but a suitable player nonetheless.

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