Arsenal supporters in the Transfer Tavern are eagerly anticipating the new era at their football club following the appointment of Unai Emery as Arsene Wenger’s successor last month.
68-year-old Wenger vacated his role as Gunners manager at the end of last season after 22 years in charge of the North London giants, in which time he led them to three Premier League titles, as well as seven FA Cup triumphs. However, things went a bit stale under the Frenchman in his last few years in charge, to the point that Spaniard Emery inherits a team that finished sixth in the Premier League last season, a stunning 37 points adrift of champions Manchester City.
Nonetheless, there are many optimistic and expectant Gunners supporters in the Tavern at present, several of whom are likely to be interested by recent reports suggesting that Jerome Boateng could be available for transfer from Bayern Munich this summer.
And given how vulnerable Arsenal have been defensively at the back in the last couple of years, the linked-away £40.5 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) would be the perfect addition as part of Emery’s rebuild at the Emirates Stadium.
Ultimately, the Gunners have struggled at the back for a while now and as such are way behind their top six rivals, with Wenger’s side last term shipping 51 goals in their 38 Premier League games, which was 13 more than Chelsea and Liverpool, and 24 more than Pep Guardiola’s City.
And if the North London heavyweights are to indeed bridge the gap to their top six rivals next time round, Emery simply must bolster the defensive ranks, with it arguable that the likes of Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers, and Rob Holding are simply not good enough for a side challenging in the upper echelons of the division.
Laurent Koscielny is without doubt the best centre back at the club, and he would benefit greatly, as would the rest of the club in general, if Bayern Munich’s Boateng made the move to the Emirates Stadium.
The Germany international has proven to be one of the best defenders in European football during his time in the Bundesliga, with the 29-year-old earning 258 appearances for the German giants, in which time he has helped them to six successive domestic league titles.
And with a Champions League winner’s medal as well, alongside being part of the Germany team that won the World Cup four years ago, there is no doubting that Boateng is the calibre of defender Arsenal have been crying out for for years, even if his previous spell in England with Manchester City was far from convincing.
The 29-year-old is a significantly better player seven years on from his testing spell at the Etihad Stadium, and would surely make a big difference to an Arsenal backline that has for years been regarded as too weak and lightweight against some of the best sides in the country – Boateng has proven to be the exact opposite.
And with the Germany ace reportedly available for transfer this summer, if the right price is offered, Arsenal must seek to take advantage by making the perfect addition to their backline ahead of the new season.
Arsenal fans… what do you think? Let us know!
