Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi in Shock Barcelona Talks

Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi is in talks with Barcelona over a move.

Not only seeing Shkodran Mustafi start football matches for Arsenal, but take his place in fixtures ahead of cast members yet to get even a sniff of senior action *cough William Saliba *cough* was one of many grumblings following the Manchester City defeat.

A milestone that flew under the radar on Tuesday evening was that the 4-1 loss to Pep Guardiola‘s side brought up 150 appearances for Mustafi in an Arsenal shirt.

You can count the good displays on one hand. You’d need a calculator to add up the errors.

Supporters have been swayed by the German’s brief spells of renaissance. These weren’t periods of world-beater quality, more minor improvements on the basement-level displays we’ve become accustomed to.

Quite a few players in this squad have the knack of pulling the wool over our eyes on occasion, the reasons for that being the standard is so low it’s easy to have our perceptions miscued.

Mustafi has been, and remains, desperately below Premier League quality, with his eventual departure one of numerous exits that can’t come soon enough.

His contract expires in the summer – one fans collectively hope will be his last – although faint murmurings of an earlier departure have been born out of desperation rather than likelihood.

But every now and then, the carrot gets dangled in front of our eyes. Another entry into the long line of straws Arsenal fans clutch onto is that Mustafi may be on his way out in the coming window.

Could it really be true?

Shkodran Mustafi’s Agent Confirms Talks With Barcelona.

Shut the front door.

While the Premier League is watched worldwide, it appears Catalonia must have a ban on viewing football in England, since there is no logical explanation for why they would have any interest whatsoever in bringing Mustafi to La Liga.

Barcelona, who recently lost Gerard Pique to injury, are in need of a stop-gap signing to bolster their central defensive ranks – preferably on the cheap.

La Blaugrana, like much of the football world, are cash-strapped heading into the January window, hoping to acquire players either on free transfers or for as few pennies as feasible. Mustafi had been previously linked with a shock move to Camp Nou, one his agent, Emre Öztürk, confirmed was now being discussed.

"“I’m not in Barcelona because of Yusuf Demir, but because of Shkodran Mustafi from Arsenal, whom we also represent,” he told told SPOX journalist Fabian Zerche when questioned about a recent post on Instagram showing him at the Camp Nou."

Said post was titled ‘ready for meeting’, strongly indicating that discussions have taken place for a move.

From a logical point of view, any talks could be with a view towards a free transfer in the summer when the 28-year-old will be free to move without the need to negotiate.

Equally, coming to an agreement on a contract with Barcelona before Arsenal get involved grants Barça the upper hand in negotiations. Not that there is expected to be much reluctance on the Gunners’ part to get Mustafi off the wage bill in January.

Additional to that, Josep Capdevila divulged further information, stating that the deal would be for six months, either permanently from Arsenal or on loan. His previous La Liga experience plays in his favour.

Good Riddance

This is the closest indication yet that we’re heading towards the end of an ill-fated spell for the defender in north London sooner than anticipated, one no supporter will look back on with particularly fond memories.

The scale of the overhaul facing Arsenal is unlike any previously witnessed in north London, and won’t be seen to overnight. A fair chunk of the trimming will be done over the next six months, but the sooner it can begin, the better.

Mustafi came in for £35m in 2016, a panic buy at the tail-end of the summer that had signs of proving fruitful in the early months. There were some decent enough outings from the World Cup winner to hint at the money not being entirely to waste. How short-lived they were.

There are no hard feelings towards Mustafi, as there shouldn’t be. He’s made errors galore and cost Arsenal some comical goals, but it’s not his fault he’s been so hopeless. Sure, he hasn’t learned from his mistakes or his insistence on going to ground so early, but when you’re not good enough, you’re not good enough.

If it happens in January or in the summer, no tears will be shed. Mustafi would leave with everyone’s best wishes – Barcelona ain’t a bad gig for someone of his calibre – yet no argument can be made that Arsenal won’t be better for it.