Arsenal have begun their first season under Unai Emery showing the same defensive frailties that plagued them in Arsene Wenger’s final campaign. They attempted to address this issue with the summer signing of Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund and while the Greek international has so far looked a marginal upgrade on Shkodran Mustafi, Arsenal still have same issues at the back: They have an ageing backline that is not capable of supporting their aggressive and proactive style of play. First choice left back Nacho Monreal (32), club captain Laurent Koscielny (32) and current first choice centre back Sokratis (30) are all past their best and leave Arsenal’s defence in need of a makeover. With that in mind here is a list of young Centre Backs and Left Backs Arsenal can target and what they would bring to the table
Centre Backs:
Since signing for Leverkusen in 2015 at the age of 19, Tah has gone on to establish himself as one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga. His blend of size, speed and strength forms the basis of his defensive game and would serve him very well in the Premier League. Tah is a very dominant 1 against 1 defender and is capable of overpowering opposing strikers in duels both aerially and on the ground. Arsenal have lacked this type of physical presence in their defence and it has cost them dearly particularly against their other top 6 rivals where Shkodran Mustafi and an ageing Laurent Koscielny are often outwitted and outmuscled by top tier Premier League strikers like Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero. Tah would be an immediate upgrade on Arsenal’s current options and at the age of 22 has his best years ahead of him and a lot of room for improvement. Arsenal should look to sign him before his stock rises too high and makes him unattainable as he is capable of growing into truly dominant central defender.
● Tall, Strong & Imposing
● Comfortable playing out from the back
● Good range of passing
● Contributes a goal every 9 games
● Can start attacks from the back
● Rarely goes to ground when tackling
● Good positional awareness
● Distributes quickly or drives forward after an interception
● Recovery Pace
Arsenal are already overloaded with right sided Centre backs but Kasim Nuhu Adams is arguably better suited to a centre back role under Unai Emery than any of those currently occupying the positions at the club today. Impressing in Spain & Switzerland. Nuhu Adams earned himself a 9.00 million euro move to the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim. Sven Mislintat should be watching this player very closely with a view to making a move before Bayern come in and take him to the Allianz Arena.
Having Just moved to Borussia Dortmund for 25 million, Arsenal may have missed the opportunity to sign Diallo for a reasonable fee but he should still remain on the Gunner’s radar. Diallo enjoyed an impressive breakthrough season at Mainz in the Bundesliga catching the eye of a number of top clubs, Arsenal included, but it was Dortmund who pushed to the front of the queue for his signature. Firstly, Diallo is a left footed, left sided centre back. All four of Arsenal’s current senior defenders are right footed and only Laurent Koscielny, who is sidelined with a ruptured achilles, is comfortable playing as a left sided centre back. Diallo would bring better balance to Arsenal’s backline and allow Sokratis to move across to his favoured right side. It may seem trivial but centre backs playing on their preferred sides is one of the many basics that Arsenal’s backline does not have nailed down. Arsenal have started the season with a heavy focus on playing the ball out from the defence and have struggled thus far, Diallo is strong in this department. He is capable of carrying the ball out of the defence, can hit accurate long balls from left to right and has a good short passing game. Defensively Diallo is a good stylistic fit for Arsenal he is quick and proactive enough to defend high up the pitch and is also comfortable when dragged away from the centre into wide areas. At 6’2” he uses his height to good effect both in his area and in the opposing box scoring 3 goals in the Bundesliga. Diallo would likely not come cheap but Arsenal should be prepared to pounce should the opportunity to sign him arise.
● Left sided, left footed Centre Back
● Great reader of the game
● Interceptions and quick releases
● Can pass between the lines, over the top or diagonal out from the back
● Upper body strength and good balance
● Pace
Since coming into the side as a 17-year-old Malang Sarr has been an integral part of the Nice team. Sarr may well be the perfect centre back for Arsenal to pursue given that he is a left sided centre back. De Light at Ajax might be the highest profile young upcoming CB in Europe, Thilo Kehrer has got the big money move to PSG and some might say Sarr is there under the radar. Nice need the money so a bid in excess of 30 million Euros could be very hard to turn down and at 19 years of age there is a high chance of a return on investment.
Left Backs:
Under Brendan Rodgers’ tutelage Kieran Tierney has become arguably the standout talent in the SPL and he is more than ready for step up to Premier League level. Tierney has been deployed as a left back, a left wing back and left sided centre back in a back three, his tactical versatility makes him a perfect replacement for 32-year-old Nacho Monreal who has evolved into a swiss army knife type defender during his time at Arsenal. Tierney’s driving runs down the left-hand side make him a very potent attacking weapon. He is quick enough to effortlessly skip past opponents on the wing and has the technical quality to deliver dangerous crosses. He has also shown his capabilities in build-up play when deployed on the left of the back three. He can dribble the ball out from the back and play penetrative through the lines to his attackers. This unique combination of skills makes him perfect for Arsenal’s current approach under Unai Emery. He can progress the ball in the first phase of play, has the speed and stamina to get up the wing quickly and can deliver dangerous crosses when in the final third. Three very important areas of full back play in Arsenal’s game with the full backs required to assist in build-up and provide width in attack given Arsenal’s lack of natural wingers. Tierney is a boyhood Celtic fan and has thus far chosen to stay with Celtic in the midst of interest from Premier League clubs, there will however come a time when he decides to make the step up his talent demands and Arsenal would be wise to go for him when this moment arrives.
● Comfortable On The Ball
● Cool and Composed when defending 1 on 1.
● Good Physical presence standing at 1.84m & despite wiry frame, very strong.
● Good recovery pace
● Good positional sense and great at interceptions
● Plays a good ball in behind the defence along the left channel; would be an ideal ball for the likes of Iwobi, Welbeck or Aubameyang to run onto.
● Ability to beat a man one on one
● Good crosser of the ball along the floor and in the air
● Provides a goal or assist contribution every 5 games
Brazil have a fine tradition of producing high quality left backs. Jorge looks like being the latest player to follow the fine tradition that has seen the likes of Roberto Carlos, Marcelo & Sylvinho (this is an article about Arsenal after all) excite the footballing world. Signed by Monaco for just under 9 million euros from Flamengo. Jorge should be still available at a reasonable price: not your Mendy or Walker price, but tripling Monaco’s money should be tempting to a club always prepared to sell.
Amavi has undergone a resurgence at Marseille since being relegated and tearing his cruciate ligament at Aston Villa in 2016. The Frenchman is a very unique talent and possess a quality very uncommon amongst left backs: Two footedness.
Amavi is very comfortable dribbling and passing with both his left and right foot. He can go outside and cross with his left foot or cut inside onto his right and play incisive passes to the forward making him very unpredictable going forward. He registered 6 assists in 27 Ligue 1 appearances in 17/18 showing that he has the end product to complement his ability. This standout technical quality is something that the very top clubs in Europe look for at full back and something Arsenal lack. He must improve defensively but at 24 he is the perfect age to come in and make an immediate impact at Arsenal whilst still having the time to improve his shortcomings. His attacking qualities would be of great use to Emery who has his full backs making overlapping runs and playing low cutbacks into the box. Arsenal should snap him up before the big guns begin sniffing around.
● Blistering Pace
● Capable of playing Left midfield or Left Wing so blessed with great dribbling ability
● Great range of passing
● Good balance
● Plays with head up
● Good positional awareness in a back 4
● Strong defensively
The name Mendy seems to be a stamp of approval when it comes to playing at left back. Catching the eye at Le Havre, Ferland Mendy has been a mainstay at left back for Lyon since his 5 million euro move. Another Ligue 1 full back that should be available at a reasonable price. Ticks all the boxes for a modern full back: Arsenal need to move quickly as he could soon cost as much as the Mendy at Manchester City did, especially as Lyon are in Champions League this season.
With the financial constraints that have come with missing out on the Champions League for two straight seasons Arsenal should look to sign players before they explode into established stars. Signings like Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Sokratis have not provided Arsenal with enough short-term benefits to justify the long-term financial implications of these deals. A lucrative new kit deal with Adidas looks to be in the works and Arsenal would be wise to invest the proceeds in players that are both good enough to improve the first team and have considerable resale value.