With the football season coming to the business end, there is much talk about Villareal’s central defender, Mateo Musacchio, and where he will continue his career.

  • Defender is weak aerially and gives away lots of fouls
  • Spurs almost signed him in 2014 but opted for Fazio instead
  • Premier League could well be a massive struggle for him

The 26-year-old Argentinian has only 14 months left on his current contract, and this summer looks like a perfect time to snap him up.

In recent reports, AC Milan are singled out as firm favourites for his signature, but since nothing is complete yet, there is still chance for another club to sneak in.

Arsenal and seven times FA Cup semi-finalists Tottenham are also reported to be interested in a bid for the player.

It’s worth mentioning that Spurs all but signed Musacchio in the summer of 2014, but opted to sign Fazio instead.

Who is he and what’s he about?

Musacchio has made 28 appearances so far this season with an average rating of 6.76, not great by anyone’s standards.

His main defensive strengths are tackling and blocking, but he’s pretty weak in aerial duels.

Compared to current Arsenal defenders, his record this season is similar to Gabriel but with the Argentinian playing five more games than Brazilian.

Comparison:

Capture
Source: http://www.squawka.com

Musacchio does a decent defensive work for Villareal, but his main weaknesses are the number of fouls he commits and his inability to win aerial duels.

That’s something that he can get away with in La Liga, but the physical intensity of the Premier League doesn’t seem to suit his profile, as he would surely be a massive weak link against opponents’ crosses.

In a way, yes, Musacchio could be an improvement on some options at Arsenal and maybe his partnership with Koscielny would flourish, but at this point it does seem like a gamble.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Mateo Musacchio will be available for around €18m, almost half the price they wanted for him last summer.

If he were to be offered a 2-3 season contract, it might be worth to take the risk and bring him to the Emirates. But there must surely be better options out there for Arsenal, especially if they expect fans to believe they are serious about changing.