Will Ex-Arsenal Midfielder Lassana Diarra Make a Return to the Gunners?

Arsenal are reportedly considering a move for former Chelsea midfielder Lassana Diarra, who is currently without a club after leaving Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow in the summer.

According to the Express, the Frenchman is on the lookout for a new club and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is keen to re-sign Diarra.

The 29-year-old midfielder joined the north London club from Chelsea during the summer transfer window of 2007/08 but he left after five months to play for Portsmouth after struggling to get regular first-team football with the Gunners.

Then in 2009, Diarra moved to Real Madrid, where he spent three-and-a-half years and won the La Liga title in his final season.

Wenger is under pressure to bring in a holding midfielder after failing to land one during the summer transfer window. And Arsenal's loss to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League showed the club needs a strong presence in the middle of the park as Mikel Arteta struggled to keep up with the pace of the game.

Diarra, primarily a deep-lying midfielder, would provide ideal back-up to Arsenal captain Arteta and his ability to also play at right-back would be an added incentive for Wenger following the injury to first-choice option Mathieu Debuchy.

The former Portsmouth player was linked with a transfer deadline day move to Queens Park Rangers but it collapsed due to issues regarding his release from previous club Lokomotiv Moscow.

Meanwhile, Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny believes the Gunners need to improve for their second Champions League game after failing to keep up with Dortmund.

"That's no surprise in the Champions League," Szczesny said, as quoted on Arsenal's official site. "You get to play against the best teams in Europe. You expect them to play at this pace. We didn't do it well enough so now we need to improve for the second game."