Arsenal: Joachim Andersen must have a bad back or something

Arsenal are sneaking in for a fantastic capture of Joachim Anderse for a free that is minimal. So like… is there some hidden catch or something?

I’ve been holding off talking about Joachim Andersen coming to Arsenal, except in tandem with Dennis Praet, because some part of me has been waiting for the catch. The snag that would render this transfer dead in the water.

As it stands, the rumors are hovering around £44m fee for both Andersen and Praet. It first appeared as though Praet was going to be the focus of that double deal, but even assuming the fee is split evenly between the two players, I’m not sure why a player like Andersen is only fetching £22m.

You look at this guy play and you see everything we would want in a centerback. First of all, the size and the strength, and his intelligence in how to use it.

It’s one thing to be a big person but another thing to understand how to use that. He glues himself to attackers and just out-muscles them.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

He moves well for a big man, able to keep pace with players that try to sneak in behind, and perhaps my favorite thing about any young defender these days – he doesn’t panic. Whether he’s receiving the ball or distributing, he’s not going to soil himself as he scrambles to find a solution to any sort of hole he might have dug himself in to.

In my estimation, he’s the perfect person to take the spot of Shkodran Mustafi. Say what you will about Mustafi, but among all his flaws, he had one big strength of being pretty competent on the ball, making long passes and understanding his role as a ball-handler.

Andersen has that same long=passing gene as Mustafi, but unlike Mustafi, he is not susceptible to numerous mental mistakes, he isn’t a smaller defender and he doesn’t sacrifice any speed for any of it.

And he’s only going to cost us £22m?

I’ve been watching a lot of game footage of him, going way back, and I was happy to catch some of his matches throughout the year as well (when I was watching for Dennis Praet…), and this man can play. And at just 22-years-old, he undercuts Calum Chambers and Rob Holding in the age department while, depending on the transition, potentially being better prepared to take on immediate first-team duties.

There’s just so much to like about Joachim Andersen that I’m still waiting for the catch. Does he have a bad back?