Arsenal Looking To Sign This Tough Argentine Defender: Scouting report

It seems that Arsene has finally heard the supporter’s wishes to strengthen their fragile defence and has started scouting players who can make their defence better. The latest player linked with a move for Valencia defender Nicolas Otamendi. The 26 year old Argentine plays as a centre back for the Spanish club and is known for his ability to defend well in the air. We now present a scouting report on the Argentine and what he can bring to the Arsenal team.

A well-travelled professional

Otamendi was born in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires and spent his entire youth career at Velez Sarsfield. He made his senior debut for the Argentine first division in 2008. In 2009 he was part of the South American team of the year thanks to his stellar performances for Sarsfield.

In 2010, he was transferred to Portuguese club FC Porto on a 5 year deal. This is where he started to really shine as he won a lot of trophies with the Portuguese club. Otamendi won the Portuguese league thrice and the UEFA Europa League once during his 4 year stint, he was then sold to Valencia but the Spanish club sent him out on loan to Brazilian outfit Atletico Miniero.

Playing style

Otamendi is a proper South American defender, which means that he can play with the ball at his feet very well. He is incredibly comfortable with the ball at his feet and can read the game well which means that he is always willing to intercept balls from the opponent.

The Argentine is strong as well, that is one of his greatest assets, he is good in the air as well which is a bonus especially for a league that is tough. Otamendi is known to play high up the defence as well, often it seems like he is playing more as a defensive midfielder rather than a defender, this lets him cut out attacks of the opposition.
Playing higher up also has a few negatives which means that the better teams can exploit his movement up the field with quick counters which often lead him to be out of position. Otamendi also does have a problem with concentration, he does switch off during games which leads to the opposition taking advantage of this problem.
He can chip in and play as a right back also but he is primarily a centre back. He would cost around £10 million from Valencia his parent club and would provide a good option for Arsenal.