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Arsenal: David Alaba An Unbelievable Balancing Act
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal probably could use an upgrade at left back and securing David Alaba would secure such an unbelievable balancing act on that back line.
Arsenal has received a bit of a boost in their pursuit of David Alaba, which started about thirty minutes after this report was released. Apparently the Austrian stud has issued a verdict that if he were to go to the Premier League, it would be to the Emirates and not to Manchester United, who had been pursuing his signature.
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One of the main side campaigns I was championing this summer was the need for a good left back. Scratch that, a great left back. Ricardo Rodriguez and Sidibe were both talked about and would have been excellent additions, as Monreal continues to age and Gibbs’ injury history is less than reliable.
None of that panned out, however, and now Arsenal are facing a new transfer rumor that may have me more excited than even Mustafi.
The very idea of David Alaba sliding into our defensive line as a left back is tantalizing. It would balance out the back of our formation unbelievable and give the Gunner’s two of the best fullbacks in the league.
Picture how potent this attack would be with Bellerin and Alaba both making overlapping runs on attacks and using their pace to recover in plenty of time on defense.
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It’s scary good. I would almost feel bad if we were able to secure his signing.
Wenger has shown a tendency to favor the one up, one back full back scenario, but he had favored the same at center back. And then Mustafi and Koscielny joined forces and proved that such a formation was not necessary. You could run with a pairing that did both jobs.
Alaba and Bellerin are both up close and personal fullbacks who can potentially leave the center backs exposed, but again, with their pace and the combined athleticism of the Gunner’s center backs, there isn’t much risk involved.
Alaba is only 24 years old and has been the golden boy of Austria for years already. He has managed 16 goals and 25 assists while always averaging over a chance created per appearance.
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This man is a creative mastermind from the left hand side and with his added versatility of being able to play in the midfield, Wenger will have himself a brand new toy to mold and meld into a brand new man.