Arsenal remains active in the transfer market, and their supporters are eager to see the club complete significant business once Andrea Berta is officially confirmed as their new sporting director in the coming days. The Gunners are continuously looking to strengthen their squad, and expectations are high regarding the impact Berta could have on their future signings.
Berta enjoyed a highly successful spell at Atlético Madrid, where his recruitment strategy played a crucial role in allowing the club to compete with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid for the La Liga title. His ability to identify top talent and build a competitive squad was key to Atlético’s success, and Arsenal will hope he can replicate that approach at the Emirates.
Arsenal have come close to winning the Premier League on several occasions, but they have often fallen just short. The club require an additional level of quality to finally secure the title, and Berta will be tasked with ensuring the right signings are made to push them over the line. The Gunners have already identified several potential transfer targets, and Berta is expected to be heavily involved in securing new arrivals.
One of the players reportedly on Arsenal’s radar is Jorrel Hato, who is currently enjoying a standout campaign at Ajax. The Dutch defender has been in superb form and is viewed as one of the most promising young talents in European football.
Despite being only 19 years old, Hato has already played over 100 competitive matches for Ajax, demonstrating his consistency and maturity. While he was originally deployed as a centre-back, he has since transitioned into a left-back role, where he has excelled for the Dutch giants. His versatility and composure on the ball make him an attractive prospect for Arsenal, who have been tracking his development for several months.
According to Team Talk, the Gunners are expected to make an official approach for Hato once the season concludes. Given his talent and potential, several top clubs will likely compete for his signature. If Arsenal do not move swiftly to secure a deal, they risk losing out to rival suitors who are equally keen on acquiring the highly rated defender.
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another defender, wow!
Yes for me.
Replacement for Tomiyasu. Saliba needs a quality deputy.
Problem, though, is: would he want to trade a regular playing place at Ajax with a bit-part bench role at Arsenal?
I know Arsenal showed interest in him before. But reports claimed that he considered himself unripe for such a high profile move. Maybe he could be feeling ready now.
He is quality, experienced for his age, and versatile – can play at right or left of central defence
Outside of Saliba, Magalhaes, and White, Arsenal defense is a patchwork of round pegs in square holes and the walking wounded.
Tomiyasu and Tierney have been so oft-injured that while both are excellent players, they cannot be relied upon. Timber, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly, Zinchenko, and Calafiori are all supposedly good players, but seem terribly one-dimensional for players recruited for their positional flexibility.
Calafiori is a center back who plays left back like a winger and defends like a matador.
Lewis Skelly is a midfielder who has shown physicality and aggressiveness (maybe a little too much of the latter) at left back,
imber had his own injury woes, but seems fit, and has proven good, but not great; failing to nail down either right or left back,, and not in the same league as Arsenal’s center back pairing of Saliba and Magalhaes.
Zinchenko pushed Tierney out of the team, but then got pushed out by center back Kiwior, who got pushed out by Timber, who got pushed out by Calafiori, who got pushed out by Lewis-Skelly.
It is hard to know what the manager is looking for in a left back, but whatever it is, it seems as elusive as a snow leopard.
It seems that by insisting on ‘flexibility’ Arteta is doomed to repeatedly signing jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none fullbacks/center backs that prevent either planned squad rotation or quality in depth, because all of the players have such different abilities, there are no like-for-like substitutions possible.
Having just two top-class central defenders seems risky, even though Saliba and Magalhaes have been solid and injury free for the majority of their tenure at The Emirates.
Arsenal need to be able to go two-deep at all four defensive positions and be confident the players rotating in can deliver quality performances during squad rotation.
White (Timber), Saliba (Jan Paul van Hecke – Brighton) Magalhaes (Dean Huijsen – Bournemouth), Kerkez – Bournemouth (Calafiori)
Zinchenko, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, and Tierney (leaving for Celtic on a free in the summer) should go. Miles Lewis Skelly could rotate in at left-back and get minutes in his primary midfield positions.
These acquisitions will not be cheap, but Zinchenko and Kiwior should probably return about 40 million combined; making a net spend of around 90-100 million.
It seems unlikely Arsenal will be able to manage this kind of defensive realignment when the need for forward players is more dire and Mikel Arteta’s obsession with buying left backs and not playing them seems likely to continue.
White (Timber), Saliba (Jan Paul van Hecke – Brighton) Magalhaes (Dean Huijsen – Bournemouth), Calafiori (Lewis Skelly)
This seems more possible, but less certain to produce the title Arsenal are so desperate for.
Up front, Sterling was a bust, though not entirely due to failure on his part – he barely got a chance; and the ‘Havertz as a striker experiment was equally unsuccessful.’ Arsenal need to sign two strikers.
Victor Osimhen and Darwin Nunez are both available at good value relative to what they can be expected to produce. Nunez works hard, and if he’s not as clinical as you’d like, he is better than any of Arsenal’s current options – yes, we’re talking about Mikel Merino and Gabriel Jesus.
The Gunners are also interested in a winger, if gossip can be trusted; which seems short-sighted. The Gunners have Saka and Nwaneri on the right, with Trossard and Martinelli on the left and Havertz who can be flexible across the front line.
In the midfield, Arsenal are looking for holding midfield players, with Martin Zubimendi the #1 target; but this seems like a vanity signing more than a need. Rice, Partey, Merino and Jorginho are a solid group of central and holding midfielders. Replacing Jorginho is understandable, but Boubacar Kamara from Aston Villa is proven in the Premier League and likely cheaper.
At attacking midfield, Arsenal have Odegaard, but Fabio Vieira is returning from a very good loan spell in Portugal, and Havertz can rotate into the position as well.
White (Timber), Saliba (Jan Paul van Hecke – Brighton) Magalhaes (Dean Huijsen – Bournemouth), Calafiori (Lewis Skelly)
Rice (Merino), Odegaard (Vieira), Partey (Kamara – Aston Villa)
Saka (Nwaneri), Osimhen (Nunez), Haveretz (Trossard)
Martinelli, Jorginho, Sterling, will go, along with Gabriel Jesus and defenders Kiwior, Tierney, Zinchenko, and Tomiyasu.
Net spend – 160 million.
Interesting stuff Paul, much of which is valid.However I think you are wide of the mark when it comes to your assessment of Timber who is a top quality player and our best defender in one on one situations.His performance against Chelsea quite rightly earned him rave reviews from ex pros and some of the more astute pundits and the dilemma ,as I see it, for our Manager, is how he can reintegrate White after his injury.Timber is a terrific player and one of the best recruits of the Arteta era.
Where does he play? I dont see it theres no room for him. Kiwior would have to leave, and he’s not starting over Gabriel or Sailba so a highly rated young CB is fine riding bench? Dont think so.
We just might well start playing Kiwior as a forward
Quality replacement for Kiwior who is likely to go to Napoli at the end of the season