The club may not have announced any official signings yet, but Arsenal appear to have burst into life over the last week or so.
On top of securing massively important contract extensions for Gabriel Magalhaes and Myles Lewis-Skelly, the North Londoners appear incredibly close to securing Kepa Arizabalaga as their new number two.
Moreover, while we’ve been saying it for some time now, the announcement of Martin Zubimendi’s signing is just around the corner.
And if that wasn’t enough, the Gunners have also made the surprise decision to sign Brentford’s Christian Nørgaard, although if recent reports are to be believed, they might be about to land someone who’d be an even better signing.
Arsenal strike in the transfer market
News of Arsenal’s interest in Nørgaard emerged midway through last week, with reports claiming that they had already agreed to personal terms with the Danish international.
While it’s not been 100% confirmed, it appears as if the Brentford ace will cost the North Londoners around £10m plus up to £5m in add-ons.
While it’s not the most exciting transfer the club will make this summer, it does make sense, considering the money and the fact that Thomas Partey is now set to follow Jorginho out the door in the coming days.
Yet, with all that said, Arteta and Co now look like they are closing in on another surprise addition to the club, an exciting talent who’d be a better signing than Nørgaard.
At least that’s according to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, who claims Arsenal are advancing with their interest in Valencia centre-back Christian Mosquera.
The Italian journalist has revealed that the Gunners have already reached a “full agreement on personal terms” with the Spanish defender.
It’s still unclear how much the 21-year-old will eventually cost, but Romano has reported that the Premier League runners-up are hoping to secure his services for around €20m, which converts to £17m.
He might not be a particularly well-known player in England, but based on his performances this season, the potential many believe he has, and the holes in Arsenal’s squad, he could be a better signing than Nørgaard.
Why Mosquera will be a better signing than Nørgaard
The first thing to say is that Nørgaard looks like he’ll be a fine addition to Arsenal’s squad this summer, especially now that Partey is set to depart, but therein lies the biggest drawback to his signing: he’ll likely never be more than fine.
After all, Zubimendi will almost always be picked ahead of him for the defensive midfield role, and we wouldn’t be surprised if Declan Rice wasn’t also ahead of him in the pecking order – not to mention the chance Lewis-Skelly ends up playing there in the long run.
Furthermore, as the Danish international will be turning 32 next season, there will be little time for him to bed in, and there is every chance he will be moved on in a couple of years for a younger backup.
|
What age positions peak |
|
|---|---|
|
Position |
Peak Age |
|
Goalkeeper |
28 |
|
Centre-back |
27 |
|
Full-back |
25 |
|
Central midfielder |
25 |
|
Wide attacker |
26 |
|
Central attacking midfielder |
26 |
|
Striker |
27 |
This is unlikely to be the case with Mosquera, as he only turned 21 last week, and according to research carried out by The Athletic, centre-backs typically don’t reach their peak until around 27.
This fact also means that it’s less of a problem if the young Spaniard plays second-fiddle to more established stars over the coming years, as, unlike the Dane, he will almost certainly have more time to bed into the side.
However, while William Saliba will undoubtedly be the starting right-sided centre-back heading into next season, the North Londoners have fewer genuine options to replace him should he get injured.
For example, Ben White and Jurrien Timber are far more useful as right-backs, while Riccardo Calafiori and Jakub Kwior are left-footed, and Takehiro Tomiyasu cannot be relied upon to remain fit.
Finally, on top of being younger and potentially filling a seriously pressing gap in the squad, the Alicante-born “monster,” as dubbed by podcaster Rohan Jivan, also has some impressive experience under his belt.
For example, even though he was 20 years old at the start of this season, he’s already made 90 appearances for Valencia, totalling 7399 minutes, and while he is yet to earn a senior cap, he has made ten appearances for the Spanish U21 side and played one game at the Olympics last summer.
Ultimately, while he’s unlikely to be a game-changer next season, Mosquera is an undeniably exciting prospect, and thanks to that fact and Arteta’s need for a new right-sided centre-back, he looks like he’ll be a better signing than Nørgaard.
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