At his best, (and he has been at his best at times this season) he is the one player we have whose combination of ability to run with the ball and tenacity can drive us forward - he can carry a team when he's on top of his game. When he isn't, he's a bit of as liability.
I saw plenty of him running forward with the ball last night. It didn't lead to anything very positive iirc.
Other clubs never came into my thoughts once I knew Arsenal wanted to sign me.