Arsenal should sign Southampton star Victor Wanyama says pundit Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand thinks Arsenal should sign Victor Wanyama. The former Manchester United and England defender thinks Arsene Wenger's team needs to be more physical in midfield and he has identified Wanyama, 24, as the perfect man to fill that void.

Ferdinand said the Southampton midfielder will bring a Paul Pogba-like presence to the current Arsenal team. "I think they need a dominant real force in midfield, I think a Pogba-type, that sort of stature. A Toure-type. You look at someone even like Wanyama who is a big strong lad," he told BT Sport.

"Someone physical when the going gets tough, who is not only physically good but can play positionally as well."

Ferdinand thinks Arsenal already possess a sufficient number of skilful players to win the Premier League. However, he thinks the Gunners require more muscle in their midfield. "I think they'll add real steel to the team because they've got all the finesse, they've got all the creativity and they've got the legs. But I just think that sometimes when they go away from home they need a big, big strong player in there, the Vieira, the Petit," he explained. "Since then they haven't replaced them with someone with similar characteristics."

Arsenal have been strongly linked with Wanyama in recent weeks. But Southampton manager Ronald Koeman told Arsenal in December 2015 that there was no chance he would be leaving in the January transfer window.

Speaking about Arsenal's reported interest in the player, Koeman said: "Don't spend time trying to buy a player from Southampton because it's impossible.

"They talk about players from Southampton because we have some good players and there is always interest in players. And the ambition of players is about playing Champions League. We know what we like to do and how we like to do our business. That means in January nobody will leave Southampton."