Arsenal: Kalidou Koulibaly is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all over again

Arsenal are tentatively being linked with a move for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly. Like with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January, I am not letting myself believe. It’s the same dream all over again.

Arsenal are notoriously hesitant in the transfer window. There are several examples of when they have failed to sign players that would undoubtedly improve them because they have dallied, perhaps erring over such a substantial outlay, unsure of whether the player is worth the fee and the wages.

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Because of that history, I am always wary of believing transfer rumours that link the Gunners with one of the more expensive potential targets of the window. It is just not in this club’s nature. And so, I struggle to ever believe that they will take the dive on a player who is the talk of the town.

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And then Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang happened. I wrote this piece at the start of the January transfer window. My point was simple: I wanted Aubameyang to sign so much that I couldn’t let myself the rumours that were somewhat tenuous at that point and seemed fairly unlikely and unfounded. But, fast forward to January 31st and Aubameyang was being announced as an Arsenal player.

Four months later and at the start of the summer transfer window, we are here once again. But this time, it is not a speedy centre-forward with a prolific goal-scoring record. This time, it is a bullying, bruising, dominant centre-back who can revolutionise what has been a painfully vulnerable and soft-centred defence for far too many years. This time, it’s Kalidou Koulibaly, and I still don’t want to believe.

The Napoli centre-half, I believe, is the perfect player for Arsenal to target this summer. He plays a position of great need. He is one of the leading candidates who might be available in this window. It is possible that he would be willing to sacrifice Champions League football in favour of buying into the Unai Emery project and getting to play in the Premier League.

And there have been tentative links suggesting that the Gunners are preparing a £53 million move. That is exactly the type of rumour that I would have dismissed out of hand prior to the Aubameyang acquisition in January. And even now, I am extremely hesitant to accept an element of truth to such outlandish claims. Nevertheless, it has happened before. So why not again?

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The chances of Arsenal signing Koulibaly are next to none. It’s just not a likely deal. Aubameyang has been the anomaly, not the norm. That said, it is in the very same stages as the move for the Borussia Dortmund striker when I wrote that I didn’t want to believe, and we all know how that ended. I don’t want to believe here. I guess, then, it’s a case of ‘here we go again’.