Arsenal and Caglar Soyuncu: In Sven Mislintat we trust

Arsenal are seemingly set to sign young Freiburg defender Caglar Soyuncu. I know almost nothing about the Turk, so, I guess, it’s in Sven Mislintat we trust, right?

Arsenal are making plans for the upcoming summer transfer window. Even without a manager now that Arsene Wenger has departed, the club, in a new structure that certainly takes the transfer onus off the manager, is beginning to work towards bolstering key areas of the squad. And there are a whole lot of areas.

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Ons such position, by most people’s thinking, is centre-half. With Per Mertesacker retiring, Laurent Koscielny struggling with age and his ailing Achilles, and now out of action until December, and Shkodran Mustafi failing to build on his first season in North London, there is reason to claim that Arsenal require some spending at the position.

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And it seems as if the club agrees. The Gunners are, per a wide range of reports, wanting to sign Freiburg centre-back Caglar Soyuncu. For those who don’t know much, if anything, about the 21-year-old defender, here is a nice little profile of him in The Daily Telegraph, giving quotes, style of play, and player comparisons.

I have never heard of Soyuncu before these reports surfaced in the past few days. I have never seen him play. I have no idea what his relative strengths and weaknesses are. I do not know how much he is worth or whether he is deserving of a starting role at the heart of the defence. But I do have a hesitation towards this transfer. And here’s why.

Arsenal already have a myriad of young, developing centre-halves, players that I believe are capable of starting semi-regularly next season and have proven themselves worthy of a chance to earn more starting minutes in the future. Led by Calum Chambers and Konstantinos Mavropanos, I feel that if the club is to invest in the centre-back position this summer, then it needs to be on players who offer a substantial and immediate improvement on the young talent in the squad.

Does Soyuncu offer that improvement? I have absolutely no idea. But I do have my doubts. Firstly, he is 21. What centre-half is ready at such a youthful age. Secondly, he has never played in England, has never played in the Champions League, and only has nine caps with the senior Turkish team. It is a stretch to believe that a player of such inexperience can be a substantial upgrade on Chambers and Mavropanos.

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I guess, however, this is what Sven Mislintat is for. He was the one who pushed for Mavropanos. He was the one who knew of both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan at Borussia Dortmund. He is the man that Arsenal have entrusted their scouting to. Given his record, I’m more than happy to give him the benefit of the doubt on a player that I know almost nothing about.