Arsenal are on the lookout for a class defender and Raphael Varane is looking to develop more: could it be a perfect match?
It has become clear that Arsène Wenger is eager to move on from using Per Mertesacker as a regular starter. The German is 31 and appears to have declined over the last year.
However, Gabriel has struggled to strike a coherent partnership with Laurent Koscielny and the boss is reluctant to use Calum Chambers (for some reason), so what happens next?
It’s likely Arsenal will look to delve into the transfer market to upgrade at the back but modern ‘ball-playing’ defenders are hard to come by. Enter Raphael Varane.
The Frenchman is absolutely superb but doesn’t seem particularly delighted with his role at Real Madrid under Zinedine Zidane.
Varane: “[…] I would have liked to play the decisive matches at the end of the season, including the Champions League. After five years…
— Laurin (@LaurinHDo) May 18, 2016
“I hope to continue my development after five years at Madrid.” [L’Equipe]
— Laurin (@LaurinHDo) May 18, 2016
Having moved on from injury issues, it only seems fair for Varane to expect more playing time at the expense of Pepe.
However, Zidane has favoured the Portuguese in the crunch moments of the season and left his countryman on the bench for crucial Champions League matches.
Though he’s been used regularly in La Liga, the defender doesn’t seem happy. Still only 23, he’s one of the best young defenders in the world and could still improve an incredible amount.
Whether or not that improvement comes at Madrid remains to be seen, but he sounds fairly open to the idea of moving on and he’d be perfect for Arsenal.