The £17.6m man who could be EXACTLY what Arsenal need:

There are a lot of really talented players currently plying their trade at Borussia Dortmund, but chief among them may well be their world-class German defender, Mats Hummels.

Naturally, this has made him a prime transfer target for big clubs throughout Europe. Both Manchester City and Manchester United are thought to be interest and both have the finances to make a move happen. As it stands however, neither party has made a serious offer.

What I didn’t expect, however is to see Arsenal linked to such a high profile defensive talent. We’re used to Arsene Wenger sweeping Europe to find the best attacking footballers – something that often comes at the expense of bolstering the defense – and this transfer link may come as something of a relief to Arsenal fans. (Source: The Express)

After all, they’ve hardly been the most solid team at the back this season. They’re the kind of team that give you the shakes whenever they concede a corner or a free kick and thanks to the wild lunges of players like Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen, they tend to give away a lot of unnecessary set-pieces.

Whilst I like Vermaelen’s spirit, the big Belgium doesn’t seem to provide the Gunners with the leadership or organizational skills that they need.

You get the feeling that Hummels may be a bit different. Yes, he’s only 24-years-old, but he’s been a major part of an extremely tight Dortmund back-four for some time now. He knows how and where to position himself, he’s fairly agile for a big man and he’s a fierce competitor.

I’m sure if he were in the side, set-pieces wouldn’t be as big a concern for Arsenal. I don’t view him as a kind of magic-fix for the Gunners backline, but he certainly is a player who can make a major difference.

I hope Arsene is serious about tightening up his side’s defence. The Express say he’d cost the Gunners around £17.6m, which I’d say is fairly good for a player who must surely be amongst the top five central defenders in the world.

He has the potential to be Arsenal’s Nemanja Vidic or Vincent Kompany. That makes him a player worth breaking the Gunners’ transfer record. I’m not sure if there’s any truth to these rumours, but I sure hope there is.

What’s your take? Would Mats Hummels be a good addition for Arsenal?

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