Arsenal: Something has to be done about Shkodran Mustafi

Arsenal brought in Shkodran Mustafi to be the long-term solution to defensive problems, but it’s been murky ever since. Something must be done.

When Shkodran Mustafi first arrived at Arsenal, there were many questions asked. But then he went on a 19-match unbeaten run and all of a sudden, people were starting to see the merits of the young German defender. His athleticism was to die for and the concerns of him being undersized were misplaced, as he was dominant in the air.

Fast-forward two and a half years later, through the murky moments two summers ago, when he was all but sold to Inter Milan, and it’s clear that Mustafi, while massively talented in his own right, has some accompanying problems.

Namely that he isn’t going to be the one to fix this defense. Now, that doesn’t mean he can’t be a valuable member of a fixed defense, but he isn’t going to be the one to fix it. Which means that someone else needs to be.

Which also means that changes have to be made to make Mustafi a continued, valued presence on the club, because right now, with so little funds, selling Mustafi for a decent fee may be the best way to go about landing a big-name solution on the defense.

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Then again, that isn’t the only thing that could be done. There are options out there, and not all of them involve giving up on Mustafi. Again, I’ll not stand for anyone that says he doesn’t have tremendous individual ability. It’s just a matter of his mental acuity in matches and how well he fits with the philosophy of the club (assuming there is one).

That can be solved any number of ways, namely bringing in a controlling central defender to serve as his partner. I’ll remind everyone that there was a while there, when he was paired with Sokratis, that the defense wasn’t looking all that bad. Good enough for me to reinvest faith in the tandem (silly me).

But it’s impossible to hide from. Whether it’s the philosophy or the personnel around him, the defensive problems often involve Mustafi’s enigmatic abilities. Whatever the solution includes, Mustafi or not, it’s impossible to hide from the fact that something has to be done about the German.

Honestly, I hope that he can be maintained. I still hold to my belief that whoever can get the best out of Mustafi will be heralded as a genius, because the individual ability is so clearly there. It’s just a matter of ironing out the wrinkles.