Arsenal: Shkodran Mustafi Or Jose Gimenez; Who’s Better?

Arsenal are after a centre-half. The two leading names are Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez and Valencia’s Shkodran Mustafi, but who’s the better option?

The course of true transfers never did run smooth. An adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous line cannot be matched for its accurate depiction of the anguish and frustration etched across the faces of Arsenal fans as they watch in despair and desperation at their club perennially missing out on the biggest stars.

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The latest scene leaves the Gunners stranded in their search for a centre-half. The apparent protagonist, Shkodran Mustafi, is being challenged by another. In talks with the plucky underdog, Arsene Wenger could be set to rewrite the script, but who provides the North London club with the happy ending they are so desperately searching for?

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Jose Gimenez is a player that offers Arsenal with something different. Aggressive and bullish, Gimenez is more like a cage fighter than a football player. An astute defender, the Atletico Madrid youngster epitomises the underdog spirit that manager Diego Simeone characterises his team by.

While Gimenez is snapping at ankles, Mustafi is marshalling his defence with poise and prowess. An intelligent player who reads the game like the play he is a part of, the Valencia defender is calm and composed, unruffled in his work, efficient and effective. An Arsene Wenger centre-half.

Both, then, offer talent and ability. Both offer potential and development and both command a fee that will force Wenger to gulp when he makes his bid. Mustafi, though, is the more ready-made of the two. Gimenez is unrefined and unpolished. Mustafi is already there.

When the immediate need for a centre-half is factored in, then Mustafi becomes the clear front-runner of the two. That is not a slight on Gimenez. Far from it. He is an outstanding talent and would be a wonderful addition if a deal could be completed. Rather, it is an indication of the quality of Mustafi – his ability, his development and his experience all crucial factors.

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So, as Arsene Wenger endeavors to find his Juliet, we the audience, must watch on with eyes glued to the stage that is the Emirates, waiting, anticipating, hoping and yearning for the hero to prevail. Let’s hope this is more Much Ado About Nothing than Macbeth.