Arsenal: Antonio Valencia the good Stephan Lichtsteiner 2.0

Antonio Valencia’s agent has named Arsenal as a summer suitor. The Manchester United full-back would be Stephan Lichtsteiner 2.0, just better.

In the 2017/18 season, Hector Bellerin played more than 3000 minutes in the Premier League alone. In total, his figure was closer to 4000 minutes. And of those minutes, many were forced, dealing with niggling ankle injuries throughout the campaign. The Arsenal right-back was overworked.

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There was a very obvious reason as to why he was overworked: there wasn’t anyone else capable of playing right-back. In the summer, the Gunners were keen to find a cheap back-up to provide some depth and competition for Bellerin. In Stephan Lichtsteiner, they believed they found precisely that.

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Sadly, Lichtsteiner did not quite pan out as initially hoped. His ever-depreciating athleticism, difficulty in adapting to English football, and high-profile defensive mistakes severely limited his value, so much so that Ainsley Maitland-Niles and even Carl Jenkinson have been called upon at times this season.

But just because Lichtsteiner did not quite work does not mean the logic of bringing in a cheap but experienced back-up is errant. In fact, I believe that it was the correct move, just on the wrong player. This summer, though, Arsenal may be able to put that right.

Manchester United right-back Antonio Valencia is coming to the end of his contract at Old Trafford. His agent spoke to El Universal this week regarding his future. This is what he had to say:

"“He definitely will not continue in Manchester. He wants a change in the air and the club is not going to renew him either. Like everything in life, everything comes to an end. Arsenal, West Ham, Inter Milan and one club from China are options, but in football everything is changing. He wants to choose the best option, but above all he wants to sign a contract for two years. ‘Not for the money, but for peace and hopefully, he told me, be hired by a team that fights for important things.”"

How interested the Gunners actually are in Valencia, I do not really know. But a potential move certainly makes a lot of sense, and it is for precisely the same reasons that the Lichtsteiner acquisition made sense. Bellerin still needs a back-up. There are limited resources to invest and more pressing needs elsewhere. Cheap and cheerful will have to do.

And Valencia, in theory, is a better version than Lichtsteiner. He has experience of the Premier League, has been a regular contributor at right-back for Manchester United recently, and still boasts many of the physical and athletic tools that made him a formidable defender.

This is a move that isn’t very glamorous. It won’t attract a lot of attention. And it will probably be criticised by many of the FIFA-obsessed fans who only care about YouTube highlights and celebrity footballers. But actually, there is a whole lot of sense to it, so much so that I would dare describe it as astute.