Why Arsenal signing Pau Torres would be a perfect move
According to the Sun, Arsenal are lining up a move for Spain and Villarreal youngster Pau Torres.
The report also suggests that the defender has signed a new contract with a club and his release is around £43m. Torres, who has just made a huge stride by getting into the first team, may not depart the club easily and this would be a sign of worry for the teams vying his signature.
The 22-year-old made his way through the ranks of Villarreal’s youth team. The presence of several other centre-backs had forced Torres to leave the club on loan and he featured for Malaga last season. During his time there, he made 40 appearances and in the process, scored a goal.
After establishing himself as a promising centre-back at La Rosaleda, Torres returned to his parent club this season and has been an irreplaceable member in Javier Calleja’s squad. He has featured in all 13 games in the league so far, scoring and assisting one each.
The left-footed centre-back has been impressive so far this season, thus earning him a place in Roberto Moreno’s Spain squad for the just concluded Euro Qualifications. He came on as a substitute for Sergio Ramos and scored on his international debut.
Under-fire Gunners boss Unai Emery has been without a proper leader in his defence after the departure of Laurent Koscielny and he is need of a centre-back.
Despite signing David Luiz in the summer, the Gunners have easily been breached at the back and are 8 points adrift of the top four, with their goal tally being negative.
Sokratis and David Luiz have been far from better in the league and have already conceded 17 in 12 games. This does not add to the team’s good work up front.
Pau Torres would be their hope in defence if they sign him in January. He stands tall at 1.91m and is a positional defender, rather than a physical and quick one.
According to whoscored, the Spaniard averages 0.6 interceptions, 0.6 tackles and 4.5 clearances per game in La Liga, which is an impressive feat for a 22-year-old. He makes successful passes at an average of 84.1% per game.
With a youngster in the squad, Emery can rotate his players at regular intervals, which would cut short their need for excessive work rate.
Read more
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Verdict
As per Sun, Unai Emery has been tipped off by former Arsenal man Santi Cazorla to make a move for the talented centre-back. In order to make amends with Arsenal’s defensive crisis, Emery must take the lead in the race for Pau Torres.
Pau Torres can succeed with the Gunners given his performances and his desire to learn quickly. This could be an opportunity for Arsenal to grow in confidence by making their shaky defence line fare better in the future. At 22, Torres can also be seen as one for the future.