Lassana Diarra to be allowed to leave Chelsea?

Well, according to TEAMtalk.com Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho has stated that he would like to offload one player after the purchase of right back Juliano Belletti. Chelsea now have two players for every position, except for right back in which they have Belletti, Ferreira, Glen Johnson and more importantly, stand-in right back Lassana Diarra, who upon his signing was tipped to be the next Claude Makalele.

Diarra, who has been linked with Arsenal throughout the summer, who prefers to play as a defensive midfielder, has already stated his will to leave Chelsea, and would be a welcome addition at Ashburton Grove. In our first two games this season, we have been without a good defensive midfielder due to the fatigue of Gilberto Silva after the Copa America. His replacement, Flamini, has played solidly but has failed to do what Gilberto does best: protect the backline. Unlike Gilberto, Flamini allowed too many shots from 20-25 yards out, failing to smother dangerous attackers. Diaby is also no Gilberto. While he is physically similar to the great Patrick Vieira, he is more of an attacking midfielder, and often neglects his defensive duties. While Gilberto is in the line-up for tomorrow's game against, it would be nice to have a little cover for him in case of injury or suspension. A perfect person to cover him would be Diarra.

At 22, Diarra would be a bit old for a Wenger signing, but still young enough to be able to be molded to the Arsenal style of play. Although he is a bit short, something that many Arsenal players suffer from, his versatility would make him a great squad player, to fill in for any injuries in the midfield or right-back, in a decidedly thin-looking Arsenal squad. I can only hope that Arsene Wenger will pounce on this chance to sign a young player who could plug many gaps in our squad. I'm looking forwards to seeing Diarra in an Arsenal jersey.

Do you think that we should sign Diarra? Do we need cover for Gilberto or is Flamini good enough? Would Wenger be willing to sign him? Leave your comments below.

Update: Arsene Wenger has signed Diarra