Arsenal: Shkodran Mustafi By Far The Best Possible Option

Arsenal will sign Valencia’ Shkodran Mustafi. After weeks of doubt and uncertainty, with options dwindling, Mustafi is by far the best player available.

Throughout a long and arduous summer in which fans of many clubs, especially Arsenal, have been provided glimpses of hope with rumours of magnificent signings incoming, only for it to be snatched away in a spate of lack of ambition, desire and will.

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Such undertakings have produced a mire of criticism and scrutiny, particularly aimed at Arsene Wenger, who has once again spurned multiple opportunities to sign genuine world class players. There are doubts whether he was ever interested in these players, but either result raises major questions. Either Wenger was interested in these players and was unable or unwilling to ever make a concerted bid or he felt his squad, which it was not, was already good enough without any added investment.

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Nonetheless, such criticisms have now subsided in recent days with the news that both Lucas Perez and Shkodran Mustafi have arrived in North London for their respective medicals. While neither deal has yet been completed, by all reports – plus Wenger referring to both deals individually in his press conference, a trait that is very rarely seen unless he is confident of a completed deal – both seem more like a question of when not if.

While the shouts for a new striker have been significant, and Lucas Perez certainly will satisfy much of the desperate desires of many Arsenal fans, it is the impending addition of Mustafi that is the far more exciting and important move. Centre-half has been a position of great trouble for many years, and it was expected – or at least hoped – that Wenger would address the issues early in the summer transfer window.

He didn’t and it took two key injuries to Gabriel Paulista and Per Mertesacker to every provide the motivation to pursue any sort of possible solutions. While such delay and hesitancy is frustrating, it is how Wenger works in the transfer window, and with less than a week remaining, options were dwindling.

Arsenal have been rumoured to be interested in a whole host of centre-halves, including Jonny Evans, Jose Gimenez, Omer Toprak, Simon Kjaer and others. While these are not the instantly recognisable, world class defenders that many had hoped for, none are to be scoffed at. And yet, the player that will now come to the Emirates is far superior to all of these.

Mustafi is a German international, has experience of English football having grown up in the Everton ranks, compliments Laurent Koscielny – the man who he will likely play alongside – and is still only 24. None of the other options can match such an impressive CV, and while the reported £35 million fee is rather extortionate, the desperate need for a central defender dictates such a heft price.

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It was very much a shrinking market, and perhaps there is a valid criticism of Wenger in allowing circumstances to dictate a lack of genuine options. However, in working such a small market, Wenger has since identified the best possible player in Mustafi, and at the end of it all, fans should be happy with the signing.