Arsenal’s defensive unit appears to be markedly more assured under Unai Emery’s leadership, but a familiar tale of inconsistency continues to riddle the form of Shkodran Mustafi.
The 20-cap Germany international arrived at the Emirates Stadium in 2016 for a whopping fee of £37 million, but it’s fair to say he’s never quite lived up to the expectation which surrounded his signing.
Despite his dodgy reputation in north London, Emery has started Mustafi in every one of Arsenal’s thirteen league fixtures so far this season.
His consistent inclusion in the starting eleven suggests that Mustafi has improved under the Spaniard, but that is not an opinion held by the former Arsenal player, Alan Smith.
According to a recent report from Metro, Smith has criticised the central defender and hinted that Emery should be in the market for a new player to partner Rob Holding.
‘It can’t be easy playing alongside Shkodran Mustafi in central defence, because the German is very erratic.
‘And it would be no surprise if Arsenal made it their priority to sign a centre-back sooner rather than later.’
While Mustafi has shown some notable signs of improvement this season, the overall quality of his performances continue to fall below the standard required for Arsenal to return to the top-four.
Rob Holding’s emergence has been a positive sub-plot to the early openings of Emery’s campaign but, with Mustafi’s form and Laurent Koscielny’s age to consider, the club remain in need of at least one more solid player to dominate the back line.
Mustafi has had plenty of chances to impress at the club, but his erratic form and inability to maintain a strong level of consistency will ultimately lead to his replacement.
Arsenal fans – thoughts? Let us know below!
