Scouting For Wenger: 3 Strong Physical Defenders That Arsenal Should Sign Next Season

Arsenal seems to be losing its charm in the second half of the season again. And Gooners all over the world are frustrated with the team again. Well, they at least won the FA cup for the past 2 seasons. But this season they have almost lost all hopes of winning any silverware. Arsenal are currently 4^th in the EPL table and it seems only a miracle can lead them to win the EPL this season. And that’s the only hope of silverware they have. Their defense has looked quite miserable at times and has let them down quite often. Laurent Koscielny seems to be the only stalwart in defence. Per Mertesacker looks nowhere near his best. Gabriel Paulista still looks a bit immature on the pitch. With that, the fans have asked the club to get more physical and dominant centre-backs to come in the next transfer season.  Let us look at 3 such centre-backs that Arsenal should sign next season that to bolster their defense.

Virgil van Dijk-

The Dutchman currently plays as a centre-back for fellow EPL side Southampton. He spent two fruitful seasons with Scottish side Celtic and then Ronald Koeman got him to sign a 5 year deal with Southampton for 13 million pounds. And what a season he has had. Not many have noticed but he is right up there with the top performers in EPL this season. In his very first season, he has already made 30 appearances out of a possible 34. He has won 66% of his average duels and has won 41 tackles with a 60% succession rate. He has also made 88 interceptions, 242 clearances, and 18 blocks. All of this in just one season. He has also scored 3 goals and created 8 chances. That speaks volume about the Dutchman. Ronald Koeman always seems to find out the right guy. Van Dijk is a strong defender who possesses great control over his tackles and on the ball. He also has an average pass accuracy of 83%. That’s something praiseworthy for a centre-back. He looks like a complete package. At just 24 years of age, he has been one of the top performers in the EPL. He has also adapted well to the English game. With age, he will only get better and Arsenal should waste no time and try to sign this talented youngster.

Francesco Acerbi-

Acerbi plays as a centre-back for Italian side Sassuolo. After battling cancer in early 2014, his life has seemed to go only upwards. He had a brilliant run in the 2014-15 season and is having even better form this season. This season Acerbi has made 31 appearances. He has won 38 tackles with a success rate of 60%. He has also made 120 interceptions, 182 clearances, and 21 blocks. He has won 63% of his average duels. He has also scored 4 goals, created 6 chances and maintained an average pass accuracy of 87%. That’s impressive. He went from being a man who wasn’t sure about how long he will play football couple of seasons back to one of the best defenders in the Serie A this season. Acerbi too looks like a complete package and is a perfect example of strong Italian defenders. At 28, he still has his best years ahead of him and he might be just the man that Arsenal need. He is a strong and hardworking defender who always tries to mark his opponents off the ball and gives them very little to play for. Arsenal should try and sign up the Italian as soon as the transfer window opens.

Samuel Umtiti-

Not many might know about this young talent but Arsene Wenger for sure will know. If there is a talented French footballer, Arsene Wenger will always know of it. Umtiti plays as a centre-back for French side Lyon. At just 22 years of age, he has made 26 appearances for the Ligue 1 team this season and has been one of their best performers. Umtiti has actually been one of the best centre-backs in the Ligue 1 this season. He has won 30 tackles with a success rate of close to 60%. He has also made 67 interceptions, 138 clearances, and 15 blocks. He has He has won 63% of his average duels and maintained 87% average pass accuracy. That’s way too impressive for a 22-year-old centre-back. The youngster has also scored 1 goal this season and created 1 chance as well. Arsene is known for shopping from the French league and you can be rest assured that Umtiti has fallen in his eyes. A defender who has produced such strong performances in his early 20’s will only go on to become a world-class player in his later years. It will be great to see such a prospect in the EPL next season and Arsene should not waste any time to sign him up.