Arsenal: Don’t use World Cup as Benjamin Pavard argument

Benjamin Pavard has been linked with a move to Arsenal. He then scored a brilliant goal for France in the World Cup. But don’t use it as an argument to sign him. Here’s why.

The World Cup offers a unique insight into players that many of us Premier League die-hards do not get a look at it during the domestic season. In running this website, I make sure that I have a good grasp on European football, the promising young players that are developing and the potential players that Arsenal could target.

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But there are still plenty of players that I have never heard of, nevermind watched play. And World Cup provides the perfect platform to watch some of these players play for their national teams. Take Hirving Lozano with Mexico, for instance, Inui with Japan, or Vincent Bentancur with Uruguay.

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Because of this, many fans use the performances of players in the World Cup to justify why their respective clubs should pursue that player in the summer transfer window. Arsenal fans are no different, and this year, after his spectacular goal against Argentina in the Round-of-16 contest at the weekend, one name that is being heralded as a potential transfer target is French defender Benjamin Pavard.

Now, I have no problem with fans wanting to sign Pavard. I do not know much about him and have only seen him play in this World Cup, but he is highly regarded by many far more knowledgeable about French and German football than I and has attracted interest from a wide-range of European clubs. There is something there, for certain.

But basing any move for any defender because of a goal they scored is utterly non-sensical. While it was a magnificent strike, that is not what he is in the team to do. Judge him on his defensive ability, not the rare moments of brilliance at the other end. And if you had been watching him defend, you would see a player who struggled against direct, speedy wingers with the ability and willingness to run at him.

Moreover, and this is even more important, Pavard is playing at right-back for France. For Stuttgart, of the 34 league appearances that he made, only three came at right-back. 26 came at centre-half, his most natural position and the position that he will likely spend most of his career playing.

So not only are fans calling to sign Pavard based on his ability to score remarkable goals when he is a defender, but they are doing so when he is playing in a different position to what he would, should Arsenal actually sign him and play him. Madness.

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I am not necessarily against signing Pavard. I do not know enough about him to make a reasoned judgement either way. But at least use coherent and valid arguments, not ones that make little rational sense.