Why Caglar Soyuncu Is The Solution To Arsenal’s Defensive Conundrum
According to Altinordu president Seyit Mehmet Ozkan, Freiburg defender Caglar Soyuncu will join Arsenal at the end of the season.
Soyuncu, a Turkish international has impressed in Germany’s top flight this season, playing for Freiburg. His stellar displays in defence have also reportedly garnered the attention of Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
The 21-year-old has earned rave reviews for his all-round defensive displays in an otherwise forgettable season for Freiburg, who are just 3 points above the relegation zone with two games left to play.
Soyuncu has impressed in the Bundesliga since arriving from the Turkish second-tier club Altinordu two years ago and is now heavily tracked by the Gunners, who had sent scouts to watch the centre-back in action earlier this season.
Arsenal are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements after a poor season in the Premier League. They were also knocked out of the Europa League by Atletico Madrid, with Arsene Wenger set to end his 22-year spell at north London without any European silverware.
The Gunners must look to bolster their defence this summer with Per Mertesacker set to retire. Skipper Laurent Koscielny is no more the kind of defender he was a couple of years ago and could miss the start of next season after injuring his Achilles against Atletico Madrid on Thursday.
While Arsenal have the likes of Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers, Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos, none of the central defenders inspires confidence, which leaves the club in desperate need of a shakeup in defence.
Freiburg’s Caglar Soyuncu could be the man to solve Arsenal’s defensive conundrum from next season. After a shaky start to life in Bundesliga, the Turk soon settled into the pace of German football and in two years, he has established himself as one of the highly-rated young centre-backs in the league.
He has made 25 appearances this term for Freiburg before being sent off twice, most recently against Hamburg last month. Soyuncu is a bit reckless when it comes to making tackles but is a strong and reliable defender, capable of coping well with aerial balls that come his way.
Due to his ball-playing abilities, the 21-year-old can be compared to Bayern centre-back, Mats Hummels. The Turkish international reads the game very well, is a good tackler and has the pace that allows him to make recoveries.
Soyuncu is one of the rising stars from Turkey and would do well in the Premier League. He has all the attributes suited to Arsenal’s style of play. Whoever replaces Wenger at the end of the season must try his best to sign Soyuncu as the young Turk is the real deal, hogging the limelight for all good reasons.