Arteta will want more depth this summerArteta will want more depth this summer
Arteta will want more depth this summer | Getty Images
Arsenal are said to be interested in a move for a talented young defender ahead of the summer.
Arsenal are said to be interested in a defender as they look to add more depth to their squad this summer. The Gunners need more quality in depth after being exposed by a number of injuries this season.
On the surface, Mikel Arteta and former sporting chief Edu had built an excellent squad, but as this season has shown, once you take away just a couple of starters, Arsenal do not have the depth to still be a title contender.
Striker injuries have hurt them most, with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus having been ruled out of the season early in the calendar year, while Bukayo Saka’s injury over the last couple of months has also hampered them, along with Martin Odegaard’s early absences.
Arteta is likely to prioritise forwards this summer, with a striker or two needed, while the Gunners also need more depth out wide, as has been shown in Saka’s absence, with Gabriel Martinelli having also struggled for fitness to a lesser degree.
But there could also be other areas Arsenal look like, with a couple of left-backs on their way out, including Kieran Tierney, who has a pre-contract with Celtic, while Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior are also likely to depart. On the other side, Takehiro Tomiyasu is going to be out until towards the end of the year after he required a further procedure on his knee, an injury that has kept him out all season.
Arsenal do have Jurrien Timber and Ben White to lean upon, but they are now being linked with a move for Feyenoord right-back Givairo Read. According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal are among several top clubs considering a move for the youngster, who is already a regular.
The 18-year-old has 17 appearances for Feyenoord in Eredivisie this season, and he is a regular for Netherlands under-19s. The youngster is under contract with Feyenoord until 2028, but he is still only valued at around £3.3million by Transfermarkt, so even if Feyenoord demand three times that, it would be an affordable deal for Arsenal. Although, Liverpool are naturally being linked given their boss Arne Slot was the man who have Read his professional debut at Feyenoord.
The defender has kicked on to another level since then, though, and he attracted praise recently for marking AC Milan superstar Rafael Leao out of a Champions League game. He told Ziggo Sport at full-time: “He’s not that fast. He was very difficult to catch in the first few metres, but I expected that. I watched some of the footage before the game, so I knew what to expect. I also believe the atmosphere of the De Kuip really helped me to distract him, so I am also grateful to our fans.”
Read would be unlikely to be a starter in the near future with Arsenal, but the Gunners do need to do a better job of signing young talent on cheaper fees, in the was Chelsea are currently looking to, if they want to avoid having to pay huge fees so often, with the Gunners having racked up big spending bills over the recent years.
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