As per a report from Spanish newspaper Marca (h/t Daily Express), Arsenal are interested in triggering Espanyol defender Mario Hermoso’s £35million release clause in the January window.
A product of the Real Madrid academy, Hermoso joined Espanyol in July 2017 on a three-year deal. He took some time to settle in but since then, he has established himself in the starting XI. The centre-back has impressed in the ongoing season as well and recently earned his first call-up for the Spanish national team for their fixtures against Bosnia and Croatia.
Hermoso has helped Espanyol maintain five clean sheets in 12 games so far. In the ongoing season, the 23-year-old has scored 2 goals and has averaged 1.2 shots per game, which are pretty impressive numbers for a centre-back. Defensively, Hermoso has chipped in with an average of 1.7 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and a whopping 5.3 clearances per game.
The player has won an average of 2.4 aerial duels per game. As the numbers prove, Hermoso is a sound defender and seems excellent on and off the ball. He is clearly skilled at preventing the opposition from attacking and surging forward. To make him more interesting, his attacking contributions are also quite excellent.
It is rather unusual to find a centre-back who can contribute effortlessly to both ends of the field but Hermoso is truly a force to reckon with. And when it comes to Arsenal, they could most certainly make do with a player of his calibre.
At 23, Hermoso has a long way to go but with the kind of skills and qualities he has exhibited so far, it is safe to suggest that he is one for the future.
Since taking charge of the Gunners, Unai Emery has brought about some radical changes. Arsenal attack with greater ferocity and have a decent midfield unit, with Lucas Torreira clearly being the standout performer. However, as far as their defence is concerned, Emery needs a player like Hermoso to truly elevate his team’s performances.
Currently placed 5th in the standings, Arsenal have scored a respectable 26 goals in 12 games. But they have also conceded a staggering 15 goals, which is the highest among the top five. Laurent Koscielny is on the wrong side of 30 and so is Per Mertesacker.
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Shkodran Mustafi has been average at the back while Rob Holding is a tad young to lead the backline. Hence, a player like Hermoso could truly go a long way in boosting Arsenal’s power at the back.
