Arsenal are looking to bring in cover at the back as Mikel Arteta reshapes his squad
(Image credit: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Arsenal are looking at bringing in a versatile French defender to their squad in a bid to improve cover at the back.
The Gunners were flying high in the Premier League until an injury to William Saliba somewhat derailed their campaign. The young centre-back was taken off against Sporting with a back problem and Arsenal have struggled without him ever since.
The injury was compounded by the loss of Takehiro Tomiyasu in the same match, with the Japanese full-back being ruled out for the season after suffering a knock in the same game. It has left some questioning the depth that Arsenal have at the back compared to the likes of Manchester City.
Arsenal's fortunes were dented this season with the loss of Saliba (Image credit: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Furthermore, makeshift right-back Ben White's struggles defensively at the weekend perhaps imply that more cover is needed, with the centre-back having to fill in on the right side of defence for most of this season, including every single minute since the loss of Tomiyasu.
Ed Aarons of the Guardian, however, claims that Arteta is set to address these issues by bringing in Mohamed Simakin of RB Leipzig to add to the depth in defence.
The French defender ticks a number of boxes for the Gunners. At 6'1, he has the commanding frame that Arteta favours from his defenders while at Leipzig, he has played both on the right of the defence and centrally.
Simakin is still just 23, too, but unlikely to cost most than £30 million. Arteta may wish to mould him from a squad player into a first-choice player for seasons to come.
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Mohamed Simakan is on Arsenal's radar (Image credit: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
Arsenal are believed to be eyeing a new centre-back this summer, with Ben White now established as a full-back – but Simakin would offer the option of being able to play both roles.
Transfermarkt estimates Simakin to be valued at €28m.
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Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.
