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Arsenal: Mateo Musacchio A Plan F Worth Pursuing
As Arsenal swing round the centre-half merry go land, the next name to be linked with a move is Villarreal’s Mateo Musacchio, a plan F worth pursuing.
On an article I wrote last night; Arsenal: Marcel Tisserand Is Poor Planning And Panic Personified, I focused on the fact that Arsene Wenger is now desperately turning from plan B to plan C without any clear plan on who he wanted to recruit.
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However, as one commenter rightly stated, sometimes a plan B can yield a better result than the plan A, though that must be stated that is through more luck than judgement. Nonetheless, it can happen, and Arsene Wenger may well have fallen on an option that is as good as any he has targeted throughout the summer.
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Arsenal are being linked with a move for Villarreal centre-half Mate Musacchio, and it is certainly an exciting prospect. For many seasons, Villarreal have had an impressive defensive record. Last season, they conceded 35 goals in the league, only bettered by Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid the three clubs that are by far and away the best in the league (Atletico Madrid finished 24 points clear of Villarreal, the next best club in the league).
The year previous, they conceded only 37 goals, again fourth best in the league but ahead of Real, and before that, conceded 44 goals, sixth best in the league. Such consistently good defensive performances is significant, even though these are team statistics rather than Musacchio’s individual numbers.
That last caveat, though, does not have as much impact as perhaps you may think. Musacchio has been the ever-present figure in Villarreal’s defence, playing alongside Gabriel Paulista and Eric Bailly most recently.
His latest centre-half partner, though, is the spanner in the works of a potential deal. With Manchester United adding Bailly, it will be extremely difficult to convince Villarreal of selling both of their starting central defenders. Arsenal’s desperate need only adds to his value, and whether Wenger will be able to prize him away from Villarreal remains to be seen.
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Having said that, if a deal can be pulled off, Musacchio would be a sensational signing, whether he’s plan A or plan F.