Arsenal’s collapse against Watford at Vicarage Road underlined a defensive frailty which Unai Emery is yet to fix. They have faced 96 shots this season, more than any side in the top five leagues of Europe.
The Gunners are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements and have been in need of it for a long time now. They got David Luiz in as a quick fix but we have all seen the Brazilian’s erratic displays for his new club.
Truly, the partnership of David Luiz and Sokratis Papastathopoulos haven’t worked at all, with both the experienced defenders lacking positional awareness and reading of the game.
Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin’s injuries have also compounded to Arsenal’s misery. Emery will be hoping that the duo regains full fitness as soon as possible and join the main squad.
Yet, the north Londoners’ defence is simply not up to the top-four standard and Emery must prioritise signing a centre-back during the January transfer window.
Back in June, the Metro had claimed that Arsenal were interested in signing FC Basel defender Eray Comert.
Eray Comert, 21, rose through the youth ranks at Basel before establishing himself as a first-team regular in the 2018-19 season, making 31 appearances for the club in all competitions.
He has also spent time on loan at Basel’s Swiss Super League rivals Lugano and FC Sion over the past few seasons.
The Swiss would fit in with the type of addition that Arsenal have tried to make in recent times, as he is still very young and would have the potential to develop into an excellent player if he was to move to the Emirates.
The 21-year-old was one of the best defenders in the Swiss Super League last season, impressing with his tackling traits and ball-playing abilities.
Calm and composed on the ball, Comert can find the willing runners in the final third with his range of passing. He has the physical attributes that would help him thrive in the Premier League without much fuss.
Above all, the FC Basel defender reads the game well and doesn’t make costly errors at the back.
The Gunners signed William Saliba earlier this summer but he returned to Saint-Etienne on a season-long loan.
Thus, signing Comert in January would make sense as he and Saliba can potentially develop a strong partnership at the back in the coming years.
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