Unai Emery travelled to Valencia to watch them face Getafe over the weekend, with rumours that he was there to scout 27-year-old centre-back Djene.

Getafe's Togolese defender Djene Ortega (L) vies with Valencia's Italian defender Cristiano Piccini during the Spanish league football match between Valencia CF and Getafe CF at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia on March 17, 2019. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP / Getty Images)
Getafe’s Togolese defender Djene Ortega (L) vies with Valencia’s Italian defender Cristiano Piccini during the Spanish league football match between Valencia CF and Getafe CF at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia on March 17, 2019. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP / Getty Images)

There’s certainly no doubt that Emery was in attendance at the Mestalla Stadium to watch Valencia’s match over the weekend. The Arsenal head coach was caught on the TV cameras in the crowd, as well as in photos with fans in the city.

According to Spanish outlet AS, at least part of the reason Emery was there was to scout Getafe defender Djene. The Togo international has a €35m (£30m) release clause, and Emery has reportedly been interested in him since last summer.

WhoScored list Djene’s tackling as ‘very strong’, and they also give concentration and ball interception as the defender’s strengths. According to their analysis, his passing is very weak, but this is likely due to the fact that Getafe as a whole have the worst possession stats in the entirety of La Liga.

Of course, it’s also possible Emery wasn’t there to watch Djene at all. If Valencia defeat Villarreal and Arsenal overcome Napoli in the Europa League quarter-finals, the two sides will come up against each other in the semis.

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With no match to deal with this weekend, Emery had a rare opportunity to scout a potential opponent in person. Perhaps that’s all it was.

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