Arsenal: Löic Perrin Would Be Astute Addition

Arsenal have not been linked with Loic Perrin this transfer window. This should be a cause for concern. What attributes might the 30 year old Saint-Etienne captain bring to the gunners?

There was a time, between the deterioration of Thomas Vermaelen, and the signing of Gabriel, that Arsenal as linked with every centre back around, to support an ageing Per Mertesacker, young and raw Calum Chambers, and a (then) perennially injured Laurent Koscielny.

From Mats Hummels to Winston Reid, you name it. However, after several calls for his head in autumn 2014, Arsene Wenger went and broke his defender-transfer record on Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal, putting all those rumours to bed.

After an encouraging start, Gabriel flattered to deceive for much of the 15-16 season. He displayed positional shakiness and questionable temperament. This coupled with the further regression of Mertesacker (he’s become even slower, if that was ever possible), and the news that Calum Chambers may be sent on loan for his development, has resulted in new centre back links in the 2016 Summer transfer window. The likes of Kalidou Koulibaly and Rob Holding have appeared in the rumour mill, but I am surprised by the absence of Loic Perrin from the list.

Firstly, let me reiterate that Arsenal do not need a necessarily world-class centre back in the mold of Raphael Varane or Benedikt Hoewedes. They simply need an assured presence who can come in and play alongside Laurent Koscielny while Mertesacker is phased out of the team. Meanwhile, Gabriel can polish up his performance. At the age of 30, with almost 300 games of experience in the French top-flight, Löic Perrin ticks all those boxes.

The next benefit of Perrin would be the style of play. The Mertescielny partnership of 2013-14 was so successful because Mertesacker’s composure was perfectly juxtaposed by Koscielny’s aggression. In fact, Gabriel’s similarity to the Boss has led some to believe that the two may be incompatible. However, Perrin, stylistically, is closer to Mertesacker than Koscielny; combining a calm head with astute reading of the game.

Per Mertesacker remains a superb leader and personality, but is ceasing to offer much else. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images) /

Perrin would also bring much-needed leadership to the centre back position. While Mertesacker has been Arsenal’s de facto captain for some time now, he won’t be getting on the pitch very much anymore. This may leave Arsenal somewhat devoid of leadership, though Granit Xhaka has solved a part of that problem. Still, there is much benefit in bringing a strong personality into the position, as it is crucial there (see Gabriel’s ridiculous sending off at Stamford Bridge when captain for the day Santi Cazorla was unable to have an impact in the role). Having captained Saint-Etienne for some time, Perrin alleviates this issue for Arsenal.

Perrin might also offer a new dimension to Arsenal’s build up play. A superb passer with a pass accuracy of 84%, he would offer Arsenal the opportunity to build more from the back, and reduce their dependency on Santi Cazorla’s control and creativity in midfield. And Perrin would certainly be a cheaper option than the other cultured-defender on the market: the £40m John Stones.

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Perrin is also a superbly versatile player. We can see why that might make him an attractive option to Arsenal. Capable of putting in a shift at CDM, where we probably won’t need him, and right back, where we might want him as back up, he would be a valuable squad player.

Probably the best aspect of Perrin would be his availability. Having spent most of his career at Saint-Etienne, he would jump at the chance to play regular Champions League football. I have a feeling that we can better his £50,000 a week wage. He wouldn’t demand to be starting, and would be a superb mentor for Gabriel, Chambers, Bielik and the like, as well as helping out with first team duties. He is old enough that he won’t be eating Gabriel and Chambers’ future opportunities either, but not yet over the hill.

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Sure, he is unproven in the Premier League and UCL, and might not be the big-name signing that would strike fear in our competitors’ minds, but for less than £15m, couldn’t this guy be an excellent, low-key, typical-Wenger signing that would fill up our needs without emptying Arsenal’s funds that could go towards a striker?

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