According to the Tuttosport, Sampdoria defender Joachim Andersen has been linked with a move to Arsenal in this transfer window. (h/t Calciomercato)
The Dane, 23, is one of the best young centre-backs in European football at the moment. He enjoyed a solid campaign with Sampdoria after putting in some impressive displays for them during the recently concluded Serie A season.
Andersen made 34 appearances for the Serie A side in the 2018/19 campaign, registering one assist. The 23-year-old certainly has the attributes to be successful if he were to make the move to a bigger club and would be well suited to Arsenal to improve their leaky defence.
The Metro claims Unai Emery has been given a limited budget of around £40m to work within the summer transfer window after missing out on a place in next season’s Champions League.
The Gunners manager is keen to strengthen several areas of his squad, with the defence at the top of his wishlist after seeing his team concede over 50 goals in the 2018/19 season.
Laurent Koscielny is at the twilight of his career and Sokratis Papastathopoulos is set to turn 31 later this month. Shkodran Mustafi has been error-prone since arriving at the Emirates a few years ago and it’s high time for the Gunners to offload him.
With some promising central defenders in Calum Chambers, Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos already in the squad, Emery needs to find a leader at the back.
And that very well could be Andersen, who at the age of 23 has already shown his leadership skills and maturity at Sampdoria in the Serie A.
Standing at 6ft 4in, the Dane would be able to deal with the physicality of the Premier League while his ability on the ball suits the passing style Emery looks to implement. The level of composure he shows on the ball in tricky situations belie his age.
The 23-year-old is a dynamic defender, who can also operate in midfield when required. But Andersen lacks pace and is slow on the turn and reacting to burst of acceleration and speed from attackers. This is vital in the Premier League which is blessed with really quick, aggressive and vibrant forwards.
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Thus, the big Dane does need to improve in that aspect if he is to become an imposing defender at Arsenal.
Arsenal had a difficult last season so Emery must invest wisely in the transfer market to build a strong squad capable of challenging on all fronts in the 2019/20 campaign.
With defensive reinforcements the need of the hour, it’s a no-brainer for the Gunners to sign Andersen.