Arsenal patrons in the Transfer Tavern are fretting this evening, amid fresh reports of Barcelona’s interest in right-back Hector Bellerin.
The Gunners snapped up the Spain international from the Nou Camp outfit’s academy set-up in 2011 and he’s gone on to become one of the first names on Arsene Wenger’s team-sheet, making the No.2 slot his own since returning from a loan spell with Watford in 2013.
That has seen Bellerin emerge as one of the most exciting young defenders in world football and perhaps therefore inevitably, a return to Barcelona has often been mooted. The latest reports come from Mundo Deportivo, who claim the 21-year-old is Barca’s preferred option ahead of a summer transfer window in which they’ll try to sign a new right-back.
Arsenal drinkers in the Tavern are inevitably concerned, but life must go on even if Bellerin does leave the Emirates Stadium this summer. With that in mind, we take a look at two perfect replacements for the Spaniard.
Thomas Meunier
Not exactly your typical Arsenal defender – or your typical full-back – but considering the Gunners are far from solid at the back at the moment, that could be a good thing. Belgium international Thomas Meunier measures in at a whopping 6 foot 3, so he’d add some much-needed height to Arsenal’s starting XI, but he’s decent going forward as well and provided an assist for Edinson Cavani as PSG battered Barcelona last week, whilst keeping Neymar shackled at the other end. A lack of pace can cost him at times, however, and the Parisians seem unlikely to sell after acquiring him from Club Brugge only last summer.
Seamus Coleman
Seamus Coleman has been one of the better right-backs in the Premier League for a fair few seasons now and his emphasis on attack certainly suits Arsenal’s style of play. The Irishman has already bagged four goals and two assists in the top flight this term and although he doesn’t offer an abundance of longevity at the age of 28, experience in the Premier League should see him settle in quickly at the Emirates Stadium. Likewise, it feels like wholesale changes are inevitable at Goodison Park this summer, so Ronald Koeman may be prepared to cash-in on Coleman.
