Arsenal are short of defensive personnel and are growing increasingly short of time. With the transfer window about to slam shut, The Gunners only have a little longer left to act.
Ever since Arsene Wenger sent Thomas Vermaelen packing, the world seems to have realised how short of options Arsenal are in this department. It’s like a switch has just gone on in everybody’s head.
Whilst Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are both excellent options, who else can The Gunners rely on? Is it really right to thrust Calum Chambers into the deep end at this stage of his career? A baptism of fire could prove to be detrimental to the youngster’s development.
Either way, The Gunners could certainly do with another option. This brings me to The Mirror‘s claim that Arsenal are ‘keen’ on Atletico Madrid’s versatile defender, Toby Alderweireld.
Can Arsenal seal a deal for this La Liga winner? Let’s hope so. He could prove to be exactly what The Gunners need at this stage in their evolution.
The former Ajax star was by no means a first choice option at Madrid last season. He made only 22 La Liga appearances in total, so I’m sure that he’d jump at the opportunity for a new challenge in a new League.
Whether Arsenal would be able to offer him any promises in regards to game time remains to be seen. There’s little doubt, however, that Alderweireld would be a good fit for The Gunners.
He’s tall, he’s tough and he’s quick along the ground. He positions himself well and he makes smart decisions. In many ways, he looks like a centre-back who’s custom built for Premier League action. Hopefully it wouldn’t take him too long to adapt.
The Express suggests that the Belgian centre-back could be available for as little as £8m. Given that they’ve just received £15m for Thomas Vermaelen, this deal shouldn’t be too difficult to wrap up. Let’s hope not anyway.
What’s your take? Can The Gunners close this deal? Are there any other options that they should be considering?
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