Arsenal: 3 ideal options at center-back to shore up the defense

1. Lisandro Martínez

This kid is the future. The latest revolution in the Ajax system, 21-year-old Argentine center-back Lisandro Martínez is almost everything you’d want in a defensive partner. So I’ll start with the only downside to him. He’s maybe not as tall as you’d like, reaching a modest 5’10.” But don’t let it fool you. He’s as good as they get.

Here’s what BR’s Sam Tighe had to say on the topic:

"“He was bought as a centre-back, but Ajax have already trialled him in defensive midfield roles. Perhaps that’s down to his height (5’10”), but it could also be a nod to his remarkable acceleration and snappiness, traits that allow him to disrupt so well higher up. He’s already made 10 first-team appearances for Ajax this season, asserting himself as a player Erik ten Hag is willing to hang his hat on in the post-Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong era. Watch him spot what’s going to happen and zip forward to stymie it before anyone else knows he’s there.”"

He is almost Ngolo Kante-esque in his vision and ability to intercept. He is rarely out of position, and has a spatial awareness so prodigious that you don’t even notice it, because it looks genuinely unconscious. He seems to simply exist in the right place at the right time, over and over again.

Martínez is also very skilled in possession. His greatest attribute, arguably, is his passing. He often steps up from the base of the Ajax defense or midfield to play crisp, direct passes to teammates, slip through David Neres with a smooth through-ball, or search for the feet of Quincy Promes with a beautifully lofted through ball. He has both quality and excellent range, making him an ideal center-back, especially considering the potential of a David Luiz exit.

And as if that weren’t enough of an endorsement, he possesses the hallmark of all great defenders, an attribute I have already spoken about in this article: concentration. No matter the occasion, or importance of the game, he does not fluster, or lose his cool. He is dialed in from kick off to final whistle. He just does not stop, and it makes him unstoppable.

He averages 2 tackles per game, totaling 47 on the season, along with 41 interceptions, more than Upamecano himself. The 21-year-old has completed 90% of his passes, and loses possession once per game on average. What’s not to like? The Ajax center-back is a superstar in the making, and with a value of 22 million—likely closer to 30 realistically—he’s a bargain to boot.

Now this entire article is predicated on the signing of Dayot Upamecano, a prospect I’m rejoicing. But even if we cannot complete that deal, these three would in my estimation be replacements for that deal. They are all center-backs of extreme quality, and worth a standalone deal even if the move for the Frenchman falls through.

This also is not a deal necessary in January, but I would much prefer that to Jerome Boateng as yet another stopgap. Let’s start to prepare for the future.