Arsenal opinion: Should the Gunners sign Kenny Lala?
According to a report from the Sun, Arsenal have joined Premier League leaders Manchester City in the race to sign Strasbourg’s Kenny Lala in the summer.
The Frenchman has had an incredible season in the Ligue 1 and Pep Guardiola has identified him as a backup to Kyle Walker.
The report reveals that Strasbourg will demand a fee of around £13million for the full-back, which in today’s inflated market will be an absolute bargain especially for top clubs like Arsenal and Manchester City.
However, the possibility of Kenny Lala getting consistent game time at Manchester City is extremely slim and Arsenal should use that factor to convince him to pick the Emirates over the Etihad in the summer.
The Gunners’ first-choice right-back Hector Bellerin has been out of action for some time now with a horrible injury that he suffered against Chelsea this season. Carl Jenkinson and Stefan Lichtsteiner are both expected to leave the club in the summer once their contract ends.
This leaves Arsenal with just Ainsley-Maitland Niles capable of playing on the right side of defence and as good as he is, Unai Emery should invest in an out and out right full-back and Kenny Lala would be an exceptional addition in the summer.
Lala has been one of the stars of the French top-flight this season, having scored 4 and assisted 10 goals from defence this season. His solid performances have helped Strasbourg climb up to 10th place in the table and he has been one of the most important players in their side.
Lala is a massive threat offensively, thanks to his pace and dribbling skills. The Frenchman has the knack of getting into free space, which would be hugely valuable to the Gunners, who have the players in midfield to find willing runners in the final third.
Lala’s pace is also a huge asset in defence as he can use his acceleration to get back in position if he is ever caught out. The Frenchman is also an astute set-piece taker, be it penalties or free-kicks, which is an added bonus for the Gunners.
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Conclusion
Arsenal’s right-back position will be sorted for the considerable future if they manage to sign Kenny Lala in the summer.
The Frenchman would provide hard competition to Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, which will surely bring the best out of all three players. Unai Emery should go in hard to beat Manchester City to the signing of Lala in the summer.