Arsenal: If not Dayot Upamecano, definitely Jonathan Tah

As Arsenal get further from Dayot Upamecano, they get closer to other names, and Jonathan Tah is one hell of a consolation prize.

For the past year, the first name on any Arsenal fans lips when asked who we should sign has been Dayot Upamecano. The ball-playing, athletic RB Leipzig centerback has made a name for himself over in Germany, and it makes sense why his price continues to go up and up and up. He’s just that good.

With Bayern Munich and Barcelona now sniffing around, however, the spotlight may be getting a bit too toasty for the Gunners to get involved with now. We all know big price tags aren’t the Gunners’ strong suit, and Upamecano is going to command one.

Meanwhile, while Upamecano is hogging the spotlight, other fantastic options in the Bundesliga are going unnoticed. Most notably, Jonathan Tah.

I have long, long been an admirer of the hulking Jonathan Tah, who could look Per Mertesacker in the eye, despite boasting a considerably higher level of athleticism and mobility.

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Tah was the talk of the town not all that long ago thanks to his fantastic work at Bayer Leverkusen, but again, because of Leverkusen’s standing hovering in the mid-table to 5th or 6th range, he’s been overshadowed by what’s been going on higher up the table.

Tah’s contract is still good until 2023, but that’s never stopped anyone from making a swoop before. The right price tag can spring anyone, and with a market valuation hanging around the £30m range, we could feasibly get him for even cheaper than we got Shkodran Mustafi.

But even if we have to spend a bit more than that, maybe the amount we were hoping to get away spending on Upamecano, you still have to be in favor of landing one of the biggest, strongest defenders in the world.

He plays aggressively, despite his size, and that’s something that will fit well into the new Mikel Arteta philosophy that’s seen renewed life in Mustafi and David Luiz. Remarkably so. So what can a new defensive core with the likes of Tah, William Saliba and Calum Chambers do with such an effective system? I can’t wait to find out.

This isn’t a consolation prize. I wouldn’t even call this a Plan B. This is just an alternative. And I really hope that these rumors hold water, because Tah is ready for exactly what we have going.