The Gunners are about to lose one of their most important players. Bacary Sagna, who has been at the club since 2007, is on his way out. After many years of excellent service, it looks like he’s seeking a new challenge.
It’ll be interesting to see how Arsene Wenger goes about replacing him. The Frenchman has been one of Arsenal’s most consistent defenders in an area where they’ve typically lacked consistency. He’s going to leave a significant void.
When he’s gone, Carl Jenkinson will be left as Arsenal’s primary right-back. The 22-year-old has plenty of promise, but I’m not sure he’s ready for a first-choice berth. He’s still too raw and he’s still capable of making some rather egregious mistakes or rash decisions. Relying on him would be a mistake.
Arsenal fans will have their fingers crossed that Arsene Wenger looks to resolve this issue in the summer transfer window. I can’t help but feel that they need a more experienced individual who can make this position their own.
This brings me to The Mirror‘s claim that Arsene Wenger has singled out Juan Francisco Torres (or Juanfran) as one of the club’s key transfer targets. Arsenal have already had a £9m bid for the Atletico Madrid right-back rejected.
This is unsurprising. Juanfran has been an integral part of Atletico’s title-winning side this season. He’s a diligent defender who works hard to get up and down the flanks, whilst diving into tackles and trying to win the ball back. When he has the ball in attacking positions, he’s also pretty handy. He’s got good feet and he’s not afraid to fire in crosses. His playing style isn’t too dissimilar from Bacary Sagna’s.
He’s also got bags of experience, having played 111 games for Atletico and earned 6 caps for the Spanish international side.
In other words, it’s well worth Arsenal going in with an improved bid. This is one area of the squad that they need to improve and Juanfran looks like the perfect solution.
What’s your take? Should Arsenal be in the market for Juanfran? Who else could replace Bacary Sagna?
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