If only Arsene Wenger has spent an additional £20-30m in the summer transfer window. It strikes me that The Gunners are only two or three defensive-minded players away from having a squad that’s capable of competing for the Premier League title.
Their midfield (when everybody’s fit), is jam-packed with attacking talent. Upfront, Olivier Giroud is a fine finisher, whilst Alex Sanchez has proven to be the signing of the summer. He’s the kind of man you can build a title-tilt around (like Liverpool did with Luis Suarez last year). Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen this year.
Still, the January transfer window will provide Arsene Wenger with an opportunity to try and drag his team back into contention. I’m sure he’s already drawing up a list of potential defensive additions.
This brings me to The Metro‘s claim that Arsenal are ‘set to open talks’ with Celtic regarding their Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk. It strikes me that the 23-year-old could prove to be a good fit for The Gunners.
With Laurent Koscielny struggling to shake off an ankle injury, Arsenal need somebody who’s quick and aggressive. Van Dijk ticks both those boxes. He’s also an extremely smart cookie, who takes up smart positions, wins a lot in the air and distributes the ball well from the back.
He’s a player who I can’t see hanging around in the Scottish Premier League for much longer. If The Gunners really are interested, I can’t help but wonder if he’ll have his head turned.
There’s no word as to how much Virgil might cost, but Celtic are usually fairly reasonable when it comes to giving their big players a chance to play for bigger clubs. They’ll want a fair return for his sale of course, but The Gunners certainly have enough financial firepower to make a deal happen.
This season already seems to be a bit of a write off for Arsenal, but with Virgil van Dijk in tow next year, who knows?
What’s your take? How should Arsenal seek to remedy their defensive issues?
Please follow @ThePerfectPass for more football related action!
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.