Abou Diaby: Arsene Wenger says fit-again Frenchman can solve their defensive midfield problems

Arsene Wenger says he has finally found the perfect holding midfielder for Arsenal - Abou Diaby.

The manager failed to sign a defensive middle-man for the Gunners during the summer. He was linked with Real Madrid's Sami Khedira, but that transfer did not materialise.

After watching the perennially injured Frenchman make his first start in 18 months during Arsenal's 2-1 League Cup loss by Southampton, Wenger claimed that Diaby, who usually plays slightly further up the field, "has all the attributes" to solve the club's midfield problem.

"I tried to develop Diaby in a deeper role, I think he can do it," Wenger told reporters after the game.

"He can be very interesting because he has all the attributes to do it."

"I try to transform it, yes because I feel because he was injured for a long time and he has the physical potential to win the challenges, to face the game will be easier for him than to play with his back to goal with the injuries he had."