5 Defenders Arsenal should target in the summer transfer window

tushar
Arsenal's defence has undone them yet again
Arsenal's defence has undone them yet again

The 2019 summer transfer window will possibly be one of the most important transfer windows for Unai Emery to secure his long term future at Arsenal. Another season without the prospect of the Champions League could have adverse effects on the club's finances, transfer policies and the general mood around the Emirates. Although, that can change if Arsenal beat Chelsea in the Europa League final in Baku. But the general consensus is that Arsenal need reinforcements to put up a sustained title fight over the next few seasons.

The first area of improvement without any shadow of doubt has to be the defence. For the second year running, Arsenal have conceded 51 goals in the league. Only Manchester United and West Ham United have conceded more among the teams in the Top 10. They have kept just 8 clean sheets in the entire season, their lowest tally ever in the Premier League. They failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their away matches in the entire season.

Defensively, this has been one of Arsenal's worst seasons since the inception of the Premier League. Wholesale changes need to be made across the Arsenal backline. Laurent Koscielny is not the player he used to be while Shkodran Mustafi is an accident waiting to occur anytime.

Nacho Monreal has lost his pace and is not fit enough to last an entire season. Stephan Lichtsteiner was only a stop-gap solution. Rob Holding, Calum Chambers and Konstantinos Mavropanos are all young and need to be given time. Hector Bellerin has been injured for most parts of the season. Only Sokratis and Maitland-Niles have shown some fight this season.

Arsenal need serious reinforcements in this area. Let's have a look at 5 players who can help Arsenal shore up their defence.


#5 Djene Dakonam

Djene Dakonam
Djene Dakonam

Djene Dakonam or commonly referred to as Djene is a 27-year-old Togolese defender who plays as a centre-back for the La Liga side Getafe FC. Getafe managed to finish 5th in the league this season. They have been the surprise package this year and have the second-best defence in the Spanish league conceding fewer goals than Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Djene has been the standout performer for them this season. He has been a major reason for the defensive solidarity of Getafe. Having played 34 games in the league this season, he has impressive numbers averaging 1.6 tackles and 2 interceptions per game.

Arsenal have sent scouts to watch him a couple of times this season. He is entering the prime of his career and would be a very shrewd addition to this Arsenal side.

#4 William Saliba

William Saliba
William Saliba

William Saliba is an 18-year-old defender who plays for AS Saint-Etienne in the French Ligue 1. The French international has established himself as a dependable figure in the Saint-Etienne defence who have secured their place in Europe for the next season ahead of the likes of Marseille and Montpellier. He is representing France in this year's U20 World Cup.

The 6'4 defender is a towering presence and has a very cool head over his young shoulders. He has shown a lot of composure at a very young age.

He could be available for a relatively low fee and Unai Emery will surely not want to miss out on this gem. He will be one for the future but as Emery has shown this season with Matteo Guendouzi, he is not afraid to field young players straight in the starting XI.

#3 Kostas Manolas

Manolas has been a constant transfer target for Arsenal.
Manolas has been a constant transfer target for Arsenal.

The 27-year-old Roma defender is available at around €36m due to a release clause in his contract. He has been a long term transfer target for Arsenal and this time it seems Arsenal are going to get their man. Kostas Manolas has been rock solid for AS Roma over the years and would be a welcome addition to this Gunners' side.

According to the Daily Star, Arsenal have held talks with his representative over a possible move to the Emirates. Arsenal are in talks with his agent Mino Raiola, who was given a three-month ban by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) last week, which was extended worldwide by FIFA’s disciplinary committee.

Also, there is an added benefit of joining Arsenal as he will be with his international teammates Sokratis and Mavropanos. If the transfer goes through, Arsenal will be getting a proven defender who can stabilize the unstable Arsenal defence.

#2 Eric Bailly

Is Bailly surplus to requirements at United?
Is Bailly surplus to requirements at United?

This may come as a surprise to many, but Arsenal have serious interest in the Manchester United defender. Since joining United, Bailly has had mixed performances and he is yet to convince Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the United board.

Often hit by injuries, Bailly has failed to nail down a regular starting place under Ole and has fallen down the pecking order. According to the Metro, Manchester United are willing to listen to offers for Bailly and if they can recoup the majority of the transfer fees they had paid for him, they would be happy to let him go.

Arsenal are looking at Bailly because of his experience of playing in the Premier League, as he will definitely slot right into their defence. Also, Unai Emery seems to be the right man to motivate him to realize his full potential and play at the level he had shown glimpses of under Jose Mourinho.

#1 Harry Maguire

Maguire is one of the most sought after defenders in the league.
Maguire is one of the most sought after defenders in the league.

This is the big one. Harry Maguire is one of the most sought after defenders in the Premier League. His consistency in the past couple of seasons at Leicester has made him one of the top defenders in the Premier League. He is a proven Premier League product with lots of experience and has definitely improved his overall game which makes him one of the best in the Premier League. No wonder all the clubs in the top six are vying for his signature.

If Arsenal win the race to sign him, it will be one of the major transfer coups of the window. Not only is he a great defender, but also a natural leader. It will be tough as Arsenal will have to go against the financial might of the Manchester clubs, but if they do sign him, it will go a long way in improving their shaky defence.

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Edited by Raunak J