Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal favourites for crazy Edmond Tapsoba transfer

By Ross Kennerley

Dortmund's Norwegian forward Erling Braut Haaland (R) and Leverkusen's Burkinabe defender Edmond Tapsoba vie for the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match Bayer 04 Leverkusen v BVB Borussia Dortmund in Leverkusen, western Germany on January 19, 2021. (Photo by Martin MEISSNER / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by MARTIN MEISSNER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Dortmund's Norwegian forward Erling Braut Haaland (R) and Leverkusen's Burkinabe defender Edmond Tapsoba vie for the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match Bayer 04 Leverkusen v BVB Borussia Dortmund in Leverkusen, western Germany on January 19, 2021. (Photo by Martin MEISSNER / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by MARTIN MEISSNER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Edmond Tapsoba
Arsenal favourites for crazy Edmond Tapsoba move in summer transfer window as hunt for centre-back continues (Photo by MARTIN MEISSNER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

Some rumours are best left to gather dust in from whence they came, and other times they gather enough momentum to be noticed. Arsenal and their pursuit of a centre-back this summer has seem them become increasingly linked to Edmond Tapsoba, who will cost them an absolute fortune.

There is plenty of debate over whether Arsenal even need another centre-back. They do. One better than what they have.

William Saliba is returning to north London and all the signs coming out of his loan spell in France are as they were: he’s an excellent central defender with the progressive, aggressive and physical capabilities that will make him a success in the Premier League.

That won’t happen overnight and Mikel Arteta needs to begin trusting his (not actually his) £27m signing with a chance to prove that in England, just as has to happen more regularly with Gabriel.

Arsenal favourites for crazy Edmond Tapsoba move in summer transfer window as hunt for centre-back continues

Nonetheless, Saliba will take time to nurture and in the case of him being injured it is Rob Holding who will assume that spot, as with Gabriel being injured it will be Pablo Mari on the other side. Mari has proven himself to be a valuable backup and Holding has come off the back of as good of a season as can he can produce.

Holding is, however, extremely limited and if Arsenal are to push for a top four berth next season with the closest they can to a set starting 11 and bench, Arteta needs to upgrade. If the homegrown quota can be met elsewhere, then Holding should be sold if a buyer can be found. Of course, with no European football there is less of a need for five central defenders – six if Calum Chambers stays as he can move infield and working on the basis that Dinos Mavropanos leaves – but the bar can be raised.

Widely reported that Arsenal are after a centre-back this summer, the latest name to crop up is Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba, who has been linked before.

The Burkina Faso defender only joined from Vitória de Guimarães in the winter 2020 market but has risen at a dramatic rate to become one of Europe’s hot properties. News of links to Arsenal first started from Sport Italia’s Gianluigi Longari, but have gathered pace with Sport writer Patrick Berger since revealing that several UK clubs are tracking the 22-year-old, before name dropping just one: Arsenal.

This deal would, however, be crazy.

Continued…

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