Arsenal fans around the world are relieved that Arsene Wenger has finally left. Unai Emery has replaced him but without three key signings this summer, another season of despair and misery lies ahead.
With rumours that Arsenal has only a £50 million transfer budget, signing the right players will be difficult. But with player sales, a much bigger budget will be available. The players they need to sell include Shkodran Mustafi, Joel Campbell, Lucas Perez, Danny Welbeck, Rob Holding and David Ospina. These players alone could generate around £70 million.
So say Arsenal has around £120 million to spend, these are the three players Arsenal must sign.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Kalidou Koulibaly would be the perfect defender for Arsenal because he is 26 years old so is heading into his peak years and has everything you would want from a modern-day centre back.
Koulibaly is a giant at 6ft4 and is incredibly strong. This means he is dominant in the aerial battles and is never bullied by a rugged striker. Not only that he can bring the ball out from defence because he can dribble and pass well. He is not the quickest but he makes up for this with excellent positioning. Also, he rarely makes mistakes unlike every Arsenal defender of the last decade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEbxUAsOueQ
Most importantly, Koulibaly has played in a Napoli team under Maurizio Sarri that play a similar style of football to Arsenal, so he would slot in seamlessly to their backline.
Even though Koulibaly would cost around £65 million which would take out a huge chunk of Arsenal’s transfer budget, this signing would be a statement of intent heading into next season.
Steven N’Zonzi
Steven N’Zonzi is the type of player Arsenal have needed for 6 years since Alex Song departed for FC Barcelona in 2012. Arsenal has lacked a midfielder who can hassle opponents, upset their rhythm but also pass the ball well.
N’zonzi is certainly that man.
Like Koulibaly, N’Zonzi is a giant, standing at 6ft5 and is incredibly strong. It must be said that he is not a brutish midfielder with no technical skills. Instead, he combines his strength, fitness and effectively aggressive tackling with great passing which is aided by his underrated vision. Just watch him against Manchester United in both legs of Sevilla’s Champions League Last-16 games. He dominated the midfield.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7YcI35OdOI
N’Zonzi at 29 years old is not a long-term option but he offers exactly what Arsenal need right now in the centre of midfield. Luckily his age, his desire to join a big club and with his contract at Sevilla only having one year left means they could probably buy him for around £20 million. That really is a bargain for a player of his quality.
Malcolm
Malcolm may be a surprising choice for a signing Arsenal need to make but his attributes mean he would be hugely important next season.
Malcolm mainly plays as a right or left winger for French side Bordeaux. He is a quick, tricky and elusive player with wonderful technique and dribbling skills. He also has a knack for scoring free kicks and long-range efforts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6wEf3Amx48
Arsenal has a total lack of pace and dribbling ability from the wide areas. This means teams can put 10 men behind the ball and they have no one who can dribble past defenders to create openings or draw fouls close to or inside the box. Malcolm would go a long way to addressing this deficiency.
So at 21 years old, Malcolm is at the perfect age for a young winger looking to make a huge impact at a fallen giant like Arsenal. He is likely to cost around £35 million and in today’s market were Gylfi Sigurdsson cost Everton close to £50 million, this sort of fee is value for money.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
