According to the Sun, Arsenal are keen to secure the services of Real Valladolid centre-back Fernando Calero in January as a replacement for the injured Rob Holding.
The same report claims that Real Valladolid has rated their star player at £10 million and the Gunners will face competition from the likes of Sevilla and Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund for the Spaniard’s signature.
The 23-year-old was a key member of Real Valladolid’s promotion-winning season in the Segunda division last year and has made eyeballs turn with his consistently impressive performances in the La Liga this season.
Calero has made 15 appearances in the La Liga this term and has helped his team achieve an impressive defensive record. He has been at the heart of a defence that has just conceded 15 times in 15 games.
In other words, he has helped Real Valladolid, a team that was tipped to go right back to the second division, to a position of mid-table stability in the La Liga.
Standing at just a shade over 6ft., Fernando Calero is not particularly tall for a centre-back but he makes up for it with his sound technique and superior positional sense. Averaging 1.7 aerial duels per game in the La Liga, the Spaniard is not really a centre-back who can stamp his authority in the air but it is his game-reading ability and awareness that makes him the defender that he is.
Calero is a decent tackler and has the ability to cut out the attacks with crucial interceptions.
However, the most impressive thing about him is his ability to operate as a ball-playing centre-back. The 23-year-old has averaged 41.5 passes per game with an accuracy percentage of 87.9, including 2.9 successful long balls per game. As evident from the figures, he has a good range of passing and can set up attacks from the back with precise long-balls.
To put things into perspective, Fernando Calero, 23, is not a finished product by any means but he should be a good replacement for the injured Rob Holding.
Holding was enjoying his most fruitful season in the Premier League before he was ruled out with a season-long anterior cruciate ligament injury against Manchester United.
As things stand, Arsenal face the risk of a potential burn-out of options at the back. Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi are currently the first-choice centre-backs for Unai Emery and Laurent Koscielny is also back in contention after making his first appearance of the season in the final game of the UEFA Europa League group stages against Qarabag.
However, youngster Konstantinos Mavropanos is yet to make his bow this season as he continues to nurse his long-term injury.
The fans have every reason to expect great things from their team this season, particularly, after stamping their authority with an unbeaten run of 22 games across all competitions.
The Gunners need more depth in their squad to taste success at all fronts and Emery should look to bolster his options at the back as Arsenal currently do not boast of the best defensive record amongst the top-five teams in Premier League.
That said, Arsenal should continue to pursue an interest in the Spaniard to cover for Rob Holding’s injury as he has already shown strong signs of excellence at the highest level.