William Saliba’s expected spell on the sidelines as he recovers from his persistent back injury is likely to force Arsenal into the transfer market in search of a new defensive partner for Gabriel. With the club aiming to defend their Premier League title, strengthening the heart of the defence has become an important consideration.
Piero Hincapie is capable of playing in the position, but he is regarded as more of a replacement for Gabriel than a long-term partner. Ben White can also be deployed in central defence, but concerns over his fitness make it difficult to rely on him consistently throughout a demanding campaign.
Arsenal weigh up defensive reinforcements
Cristhian Mosquera is another option available to Arsenal, although he still lacks experience, as seen in the Champions League final. As a result, the Gunners are expected to explore the market for another central defender during this transfer window if they are to maintain their chances of retaining the league crown.
According to Get Football News France, the two defenders currently on Arsenal’s radar are Ezri Konsa and John Stones, both of whom have established records in the EPL. Their experience at the highest level makes them attractive options as Arsenal assess the best way to strengthen their back line ahead of the new campaign.
Konsa and Stones offer different qualities
Stones has won several top-flight league titles as well as other major honours during his career and is now a free agent after leaving Manchester City. His experience of competing for the biggest trophies could prove valuable, although his recent injury record remains a concern.
Konsa, meanwhile, has developed into one of the league’s most dependable defenders. He has helped Aston Villa qualify consistently for European competition and played a key role in the club winning the Europa League crown last term. Konsa will command a higher transfer fee, but Arsenal must carefully weigh the additional cost against the experience offered by the former Manchester City defender before deciding which option best suits their needs.
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How well did the pair do at the WC? Our defence looked as open as the English channel. Stones looked slow and Konza looked average at best. We have cover. Are we looking for cover for cover. Or are we looking at straight in the team? Neither are straight in the team for me. Is Stones the cover for cover and Konza the straight in the team?
Neither fit the bill as far as I am concerned ,but as Saliba may be out for some considerable time we definitely need a quality RCB .I know Timber, Mosquera and White can play in that position and perhaps an alternative would be to recruit a top class RB and use the existing trio to cover for Saliba.While Timber in particular has the pace and skills to breach the gap, he does lack the physical presence of Saliba and may be vulnerable in the air..In any event this is a problem which we could have done without in the pre season period and we may need to scale down our recruitment in other areas to ensure the spine of our defence is secure.
I agree, rather sign a right back and utilize, White, Mosquera and Timber.
There is very recent rumour that Sporting CP centre back, Zeno Debasi, has been ‘offered to Arsenal” for around 34m.
His stats look good, but the challenges would be:
* would he adapt quickly enough to be a good cover for Saliba? and
* what happens to him when Saliba is back?
It’ s answering these questions that may tempt Arsenal to opt for internal resources to cover for Saliba’s absence.
We just hope that wouldn’t be a costly option
PLZ BROUGHT FOR US ALVARIZ