One of Arsenal’s main problems this season has been a lack of defensive options. Arsene Wenger spent big on players like Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck to bolster his already impressive attack, but he more or less neglected his defense.
Yes, I realise that he signed Calum Chambers and Mathieu Debuchy during the summer, but he didn’t do enough to account for losing Thomas Vermaelen. Arsenal now have only two out-and-out centre-backs. If they lose one of them (or God forbid, both of them) to injury or long-term suspension, then they’re going to be in serious trouble. It’s not like The Gunners have a lot of cover in other defensive positions after all.
This is likely to be an issue that The Gunners will seek to rectify in the January transfer window. Indeed, The Metro claim that Arsene Wenger has been linked with a £30m move for Athletic Bilbao’s defensive prodigy, Aymeric Laporte. Could this 20-year-old ace be the answer to Arsenal’s prayers?
He’s certainly a decent option. The aforementioned source compares him to Calum Chambers in terms of defensive maturity. If he really is that good, then he’s worth considering, even if £30m (the amount necessary to trigger his release clause) is a lot of money.
Despite his youth, Laporte has made more than 50 appearances for Athletic Bilbao and he’s held his own against some of the best players that La Liga has to offer. Given that he’s a young French star, there’s a good chance that Arsene Wenger knows him well and knows exactly how good he is.
He may not dislodge Laurent Koscielny or Per Mertesacker just yet, but he’s a great back-up option. Besides, with the number of injury problems that Arsenal seem to have over the course of an average season, there’s a good chance that he’ll get a decent number of opportunities to prove himself.
As a third-choice centre-back option, it’s hard to think of anybody better. If only he wasn’t so expensive.
What’s your take? Is Aymeric Laporte a worthy transfer target for The Gunners? Is there anybody else they should consider?
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