Arsenal: 5 David Luiz alternatives with summer exit confirmed

Arsenal will bid farewell to one of their senior squad members after it was mutually agreed that David Luiz would not stay beyond his current contract and instead leave when his deal expires in the summer. There are now decisions to make to replace the 34-year-old.

What can be said of David Luiz is, well, a lot. None of the stinging criticisms or broken televisions were a result of his character, however.

Someone who in his short time in north London became a key dressing room figure and a much-loved member of the squad, what he brought to Arsenal off the pitch was arguably of greater importance than that he offered on it.

Despite his plethora of faults, he has been the best central defender at the club this season: either a damning indictment of the quality on offer or testament to his improvements from his debut campaign. Glass half full, glass half empty.

Arsenal: 5 David Luiz alternatives with summer exit confirmed

What is certain is that he will need replacing in one way or another.

The call to be ‘ruthless’ from Mikel Arteta is clearly coming into effect. A popular figure and a mentor to the younger players, at his age there is no room for new contracts. It’s about building for the future and that starts by bidding farewell to those who will play no part in it.

In many ways, this move is the beginning of a substantial ripple effect. Wholesale change will come about from this point onwards and what Arsenal do next will be defining.

Can we trust those in charge to make the right decisions? If we’re starting on a clean slate, then not offering Luiz a new contract signals that they are. So, who replaces David Luiz?

William Saliba

The first one is obvious. The big-money £27m addition two years ago has played a grand total of zero minutes of senior English football. Quite the return.

And speaking of returns, he is coming back to north London at long last as his second loan spell away from the club since arriving is drawing to its close. William Saliba has totally transformed the outlook of Nice after moving in January, stepping into the heart of defence and offering a commanding and demanding presence.

He marshalls his back four alongside fellow loanee Jean-Clair Todibo, recording the well-known statistic of being dribbled past just once in his 18 matches at the club.

Statistically strong in almost every field and with distribution as his biggest strength, he is the natural replacement for Luiz.

Saliba is also untested in the Premier League. Yet to play with his teammates outside of London Colney and still learning the language, it is a huge ask for him to become the starting centre-back in Arsenal’s defence. He will rightly get his chance, but still very raw with his core attributes, patience will be needed.

Konstantinos Mavropanos

Another loanee due back in the summer, what Konstantinos Mavropanos boasts over Saliba is experience, not just in numbers, but in English football.

Signed for less than £2m in January 2018, the Greek defender has improved dramatically since the moment he walked through the door. Initially set to work his way up through the youth ranks, he was fast-tracked into the first team and featured a surprising number of times under Arsene Wenger.

He’s since had two loan spells in Germany where he could hardly have done much better, and the decision to tie him down to a long-term contract prior to sending him out on loan last summer was one of few credible decisions made in regards to player management over recent years.

Is he good enough to challenge for a starting spot? He certainly is no David Luiz when it comes to having the ball at his feet, yet as a progressive figure this facet of his game has improved tenfold.

In terms of leadership, he demonstrates true battling qualities on the pitch but in the dressing room he’s not set to be rallying the troops or putting an arm around the youngsters (himself?) any time soon. No slight on him since this is a unique quality to have, but the likelihood is that he’ll spend another season on loan or move permanently in the summer.

Rob Holding

Before the laughter begins, this is not in a sense of quality. Holding has traits which he is well above average at and actually fairly solid in, while others leave plenty to be desired.

Luiz’s ability on the ball is immeasurably better, with Holding limited playing down the line and picking out passes at distance. They’re chalk and cheese in that department.

However, where Holding can to step up is in the dressing room. It’s not known just how vocal he is – on the pitch he doesn’t back down from anything – but with a mass exodus of senior players from Arsenal to take place this summer some voices previously faint will need to crank up a few decibels.

Should Luiz be joined by Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka, Hector Bellerin and Bernd Leno, Holding will be left as one of the most senior figures despite him being only 25 years old.

Having been at the club for coming up to five years, he is also one of the more familiar faces at London Colney. While he’s not going to start pinging diagonals out to Nicolas Pepe or getting his boogie on to samba, he will find himself in a position where he can stamp some authority. Arteta likes him for this reason.

Can he step up in that regard? He might not be the man to do it but he will now be having a more important role behind the scenes.

Arsenal Sign New Centre-Back

As per The Athletic, and hinted at constantly with rumours of interest for a number of targets, Arsenal will look to sign a new right-sided central defender in the summer.

How necessary is that? Rob Holding, Saliba, Mavropanos and the versatile Calum Chambers will all be options when pre-season starts, yet with intentions on securing another it becomes clear that Saliba isn’t deemed ready to be a regular fixture, Mavropanos will leave, Holding isn’t seen as the first choice either and Chambers will remain as a right-back.

It’s a lot to ask of Saliba or Mavropanos to partner Gabriel next term, while Holding is so limited in his skillset and not of the quality demanded to be a top four (that’s the aim, anyway) starting centre-back.

Thus, links to every man and his dog will now emerged, likely within hours of Luiz’s departure being announced.

Whoever comes in will have to be an experienced head. A leader on and off the pitch and with Premier League, if at the least top level, pedigree. Ibrahima Konate was seen as the big signing for Arsenal, who were pipped to the post for him by Liverpool.

This has been a plan well in the making and a younger, less footballingly stupid version of David Luiz will certainly be the profile. They need experience. Real quality.

Joachim Andersen

After the news on Konate died down, nobody has been linked more heavily to Arsenal this summer than Fulham’s on loan defender Joachim Andersen.

Lyon, like all Ligue 1 sides, are feeling the pinch financially as a result of the coronavirus pandemic as well as the collapse of the country’s TV licensing deal, and are willing to sell the Dane whose desire is to remain in the Premier League.

While Fulham have been atrocious this season in almost every department, it speaks volumes of the individuals who can come out of relegation dogfights with interest from more established clubs. It’s Tottenham and Arsenal who are leading this £20m chase.

Is Andersen really it, though? He’s had a fine season and would add both quality and experience to this Arsenal squad, yet as the established, ball-playing central defender who can fill Luiz’s boots, his addition would hardly set the pulses racing.

Arsenal’s right side has been a real problem area for a number of months. When fit, Kieran Tierney on the left and Gabriel or Pablo Mari to his side with Xhaka inside and Pepe further forward has worked. Cross the pitch and an uncertain right-back scenario and limited right-sided central defender have contributed to weakness building triangles down that side.

Andersen isn’t the guy to help fix that.