Sven Mislintat wants Arsenal to sign a centre-back as one of four positions he’s looking to strengthen this summer according to reports, but who are the available options?
We recently covered reports of the four areas Arsenal’s new head of recruitment wants to strengthen over the summer, which you can check out here.
One of these areas was in the back line, as the club look to replace and reinforce a group that are mostly ageing, injury prone, retiring or inexperienced.
So who could the club look to target this summer?
3Jose Gimenez
- Age: 23
- Current club: Atletico Madrid
- Contract until: 2020
- Market value: £31.5m
Gimenez recently signed a contract extension to 2020, otherwise he would’ve been a free agent this summer. Still, that’s not a particularly long contract in today’s market, especially for such a young and talented player.
In fact, recent reports suggest the player has a £57.3m release clause. If Arsenal wanted him badly enough, they could just pay up and get him. The Express wrote in February that the Uruguayan was Wenger’s “top target”.
Gimenez is a regular in Atletico’s well drilled defensive back line. They’ve only conceded 12 goals in 28 league games this season, the lowest in the league.
The 23-year-old is a threat on set-pieces, as he’s so strong in the air, and he also puts his body on the line to make blocks regularly. If Arsenal are willing to pay a bit more to lock down the position for a few years, Gimenez could be their best option.