Arsenal: 4 inexpensive center-back options to partner William Saliba

Here are 4 reasonably-priced options at center-back for William Saliba

Arsenal‘s center-back situation is an absolute mess. They currently have 8 players on the books, and yet due to injuries and lack of talent, they continue to search for the future of the position, something they believe does not currently reside at the club.

William Saliba was the first step towards accomplishing that goal, but we have a ways to go. Arsenal have dreamt of Dayot Upamecano for a number of years, and he fits the bill as a potential savior of the backline. But barring a miracle, Arsenal does not have the finances to support that move. So we must look elsewhere.

There are a couple of necessary criteria for a partner for William Saliba. He must be a reasonable age—anybody over 27 is going to be a hard sell for a Gunners side planning for the future. He must be inexpensive—£25 million or below seems a reasonable demand, the same as we paid for Saliba, especially in a buyers market such as this. Furthermore, any center-back we do sign would have to be bought with funds raised by offloading unwanted defenders, and £25 million seems about right.

Most importantly, he must be left-footed, whether to play on the left in a back-three or a back-four. Of Arsenal’s eight central defenders, only Pablo Mari is left-footed, and despite his long-term deal, he has not been convincing in his limited time this season.

With those criteria in mind, let’s move into the list.

4. Mario Hermoso

The 25-year-old has played fourth fiddle in Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid system this season, despite moving to the Wanda Metropolitano for £22 million the last summer. Hermoso has reportedly been told that’s he’s not indispensable, with Inter apparently interested in a move very similar to the fee paid by Atleti.

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Arsenal were first linked to Hermoso when he was 22, and plying his trade at Real Espanyol. And in the three years since, he has continued to demonstrate the same impressive skills.

The Spaniard center-back is composed and very patient. He rarely lunges into tackles or goes to ground, instead preferring to track and follow his opponents, often reading movements with inch-perfect precision.

He does have a tendency to use his arms when defending, which gives him a penchant for a yellow, especially in Spain, where diving is more of an art form than a regular act. But he’s also strong, and at just a hair over 6’0″, can deal with balls in the air and on the ground.

Arguably his best skill is his ability in possession, something that will endear him to Mikel Arteta. He is exceedingly skilled on the ball, with a good variety of foot skills and an excellent range of passing mixed in with his aforementioned composure. He would be an excellent replacement for Pablo Mari and Sead Kolasinac, both of whom have shown their limitations on the ball.

He has his issues—top-end speed for a start, and he doesn’t step out as often as I’d like, but there’s a chance we can get him for around £20 million, and it’s a chance I’d take. On to number 3, who has taken the Bundesliga by storm during the restart.

3. Martin Hinteregger

This may seem like an odd one, simply because he doesn’t play for a top team, or make headlines often, but Martin Hinteregger would be a valuable signing for a number of reasons. The Bundesliga declared the Austrian one of the top 5 success stories of the season, and it’s a plaudit he deserves.

Valued at around £14 million, and with the left-footed prerequisite, Hinteregger could come into the club through reinvestment of any money garnered from center-back sales this summer, which is a sweet deal.

The 27-year-old covers a lot of the bases Mikel Arteta would want. He’s skilled in defending in a back four or in a back three—he featured through the center for much of Frankfurt’s Bundesliga campaign but played on the left against Arsenal in both of their Europa League group stage ties.

The Austrian international also likes playing long balls, playing an average of 4 accurate long balls per game. His skill in that area would help relieve David Luiz of some of the pressure in possession and could be a key trait considering Arsenal’s talent down the left flank.

Otherwise, he’s pretty much the perfect center-back. Tall, strong, and a fantastic tackler, he led Frankfurt in tackles, blocked shots, and clearances this season. He also has a fantastic jumping reach, which is a major asset in the Premier League.

Finally, he brings a massive set-piece threat, scoring 9 goals this year from indirect set pieces and corner kicks, making him the highest-scoring defender in Europe this year. He scored 5 goals in 8 games this winter and capped the restart off with a brace against Bayern. We could certainly do worse. On to number 2, a player with a lot of potential and very little downside.

2. Malang Sarr

The 21-year-old center-back is a free agent. Yes, that’s right, a free agent. His contract with OGC Nice expired on July 1st, and he has not signed for another club since. Even without the Frenchman’s impressive skill set, we could get him for free, and at only 21 years of age, keep him for quite a while. That’s enough of a reason for me.

He averages 1 tackle, 2 interceptions, and 1.3 clearances per game, a very solid rate considering he only played in 55% of Nice’s games this season. Like everybody else on this list, he’s left-footed, and boy does he use that left peg to good effect.

Sarr averaged a 91% pass completion rate this season, which is excellent for a center-back, especially one so young. He completes 93% of his short passes and plays almost 4 accurate long balls per game. His possession retention and ball distribution are among his greatest skills, something we haven’t seen from a left-sided Arsenal center-back in ages.

Arsenal have already been linked with the Frenchman, about a month ago, but rumors have quieted, with multiple sources claiming that the Gunners missed their window due to a surplus of defenders already at the club. Until he pens a signature with another club, I disagree.

There is no better situation than one where a club can offload deadwood and bring in a talented youngster to replace it. Arsenal should jump at that opportunity. Just like they should at the chance to sign the player at #1.

1. Gabriel Magalhaes

Gabriel dos Santos Magalhaes, better known as Gabriel, has nearly overtaken Dayot Upamecano in the hearts and hopes of Arsenal fans, something I never thought I could possibly say about anyone. But from what I’ve seen, he’s completely deserving.

Gabriel and Upamecano are very similar players. They’re young, fast, positionally and tactically flexible, and talented as hell. There are two key differences though. The first of those is their preferred foot—in fact, the only reason I actually like Gabriel better than his French counterpart is the fact that he’s left-footed.

But the second difference is far more telling, and it boils down to style of play. Whereas Upamecano appears to float above the game, with calm composure his defining attribute, Gabriel can be found in the heart of every challenge, fighting, scrapping, and winning. And I cannot think of a better attribute for a partner to William Saliba.

That’s not to say he’s prone to be cautioned. He spread his 6 yellow cards over 3000 minutes of play, only earning three in league play, an impressive record. He also completes a whopping 95% of his passes per game and has a penchant for a stellar long pass. He’s fantastic in every area of play, and for £20-£25 million less than Upamecano, is a steal to boot.

This is a rare occasion where there is literally no downside to signing a player. We also understand that the Brazilian is interested in a move to North London. So let’s not make the Hakim Ziyech mistake. Sign him up, before it’s too late. But if not Gabriel, consider the other three options as reasonable replacements. All are capable defenders, and each and every single one has the ability to make a difference to this club.