Arsenal are likely to pursue a new central defender this summer following an untimely back injury sustained by William Saliba at the World Cup.
The Frenchman has been a mainstay in the heart of the defence alongside Gabriel Magalhaes for Arsenal, but he is presently out for an ‘extended period‘
Cristhian Mosquera is currently the immediate backup for the right centre-back role, being right-footed, but the Spaniard had a tough outing in Dublin yesterday.
Arsenal were soundly beaten 3-1 by Real Betis. Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was largely to blame for the opening goal after he fluffed his lines while trying to stop a cross.
However, Mosquera did not cover himself in glory either. The Spaniard missed a header before Rodrigo Riquelme opened the scoring in the ninth minute.
The 22-year-old also conceded the corner leading to the goal, which could have been avoided.
Mosquera had several more nervous moments during the opening half, where he did not contest a single ground duel. He was eventually substituted at the interval.
In our view, Arsenal can’t head into the new season with Mosquera as Gabriel’s central defensive partner, given that he is still inexperienced and prone to unforced errors.
Yesterday’s outing was another example. The Gunners have the chance to sign Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande, but the Ivorian ace falls into the same category.
He will need to adapt to the higher intensity of the Premier League and has been prone to defensive mistakes too. The Gunners are therefore likely to pursue an experienced domestic solution.
In our opinion, Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa remains the most viable choice. The 28-year-old has been one of the best-performing centre-backs in the English top-flight over the past year.
He had a passing accuracy of 95 percent in the league last term and won almost 70 percent of his duels. Konsa also made four clearances and three recoveries on average for the Villans.
The Gunners previously valued him at £30-35 million, whereas Villa placed a £60m price tag on him.
Konsa ‘would like to join‘ Arsenal, and the onus is on the club to raise their transfer proposal significantly. It may well take £45m plus £5m in add-ons to persuade the Villans to sell him.
That is obviously a huge outlay for a player turning 29 in October, but the inflated nature of the transfer market means Arsenal should be prepared to pay a higher premium fee.
The hierarchy should reopen discussions with Villa for Konsa at the earliest opportunity, as the West Midlands outfit may not entertain his departure once the new season starts.
Unai Emery’s side won’t sanction his sale without signing a top-class replacement.
Stats from Sofascore