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Mikel Arteta inherited a flawed squad when he was hired as Arsenal manager. Since then, he has been working on putting together a team of his own making. One of the major areas that needed to be addressed was the defense, and while he recently jettisoned Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, there is still work to be done.
Recent reports are circulating that the Gunners are interested in RB Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konate – the 21-year-old Frenchman is being looked at by a number of European clubs should he become available. Yet, while Arteta is considering his summer options there may be two already under contract with the Gunners.
On-loan defenders William Saliba and Konstantinos Mavropanos are playing well and receiving glowing reviews. This is creating what can only be labeled as a good problem for Arteta.
Signed in the summer of 2019 from Saint-Etienne for £27m, Saliba was loaned back to the French side for the 2019-2020 season then left out of Arsenal’s squads again this campaign with Arteta believing he needed a “transition year”.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta finally has healthy options to build his defense with William Saliba and Konstantinos Mavropanos shining
Now back in Ligue 1, Saliba has drawn widespread praise. The Frenchman has played the full 90 minutes in 11 of his 12 matches, putting in great numbers (via fbref):
- A 91.6% passing accuracy
- 28 tackles & interceptions won
- 16 blocks
- Been dribbled past just once
- 68 clearances
In January 2018, Konstantinos Mavropanos was signed for Arsenal by the former head of recruitment Sven Mislintat. Since then he’s had to deal with injuries and limited playing time with the Gunners, while last season he was loaned out to Nuremberg and is now on a season-long deal with Stuttgart.
Since joining the Bundesliga side, Mavropanos has played 953 minutes, secured a 77.2% pass accuracy, won 67.5% of his aerial duels, made 64 tackles and interceptions, and has also chipped in with an assist.
He has impressed Stuttgart manager Pellegrino Matarazzo who lavished Mavropanos with praise for his performances this season (if you want a good tongue twister try saying Konstantinos Mavropanos and Pellegrino Matarazzo together).
"“He’s our gladiator! He’s a monster in terms of physique, and when he makes a mistake, he hums around some Greek swear words. I like that. He’s just a tough dog.”"
Mikel Arteta Has Plenty of Defensive Options to Choose From
With both players excelling out on loan, Arteta can now add Saliba and Mavrapanos to his list of defensive possibilities before making plans for the summer transfer window.
Those that are already a part of the manager’s plans include Gabriel Magalhaes, Pablo Mari, Cedric Soares, Rob Holding, and Kieran Tierney, with the jury still out on four others: David Luiz, Hector Bellerin, Sead Kolasinac and Calum Chambers
As for the former Chelsea centre-back, he was initially signed for just one season. However, it’s been reported that Arteta is considering giving him another year after some much improved displays. With Bellerin, the speculation is that he and Arsenal believe it’s time for a change; Barcelona has expressed interest in bringing back their former youth team member, as have Paris Saint-Germain.
Over in the Bundesliga, Schalke 04 are staring down the barrel of relegation and it’s not clear what the future holds for the Kolasinac. The Bosnian has one year left on his deal in the summer but rumour has it he’d like to stay regardless of whether they drop into the second tier.
Finally, Chambers appears to be Arsenal’s forgotten man. He has barely played since recovering from an ACL injury and all signs point towards Arteta being open to offers for the versatile 26-year-old.
For now, Arteta has to put his summer plans on hold – let Edu do his thing – and concentrate on both league position and trying to win the Europa League. Qualifying for Europe will make the manager’s summer recruitment plans a whole lot easier, as will the form of his two central defensive loanees. However the season pans out, there are options, and strong ones, in the heart of defense. Still need a left-back, though.
The question is, what are Arteta’s best defensive options?