Defence. That’s one area of the pitch that has been Arsenal’s Achilles heel for years. Arsene Wenger did try to solve one part of that problem when he signed Sead Kolasinac last summer. But one year later, the left-back problem still persists for the Gunners.
Kolasinac had an injury-laden first season where he made only 25 starts in the Premier League. However, once new manager Unai Emery joined the club, he got injured in pre-season and will be out for several weeks.
Nacho Monreal, Arsenal’s veteran left-back, will turn 33 this February and will be out of contract in June 2019. Clearly, this situation could present a huge headache for Emery.
But Mirror recently reported that Arsenal are in the hunt to sign Atletico Madrid left-back Filipe Luis. Now, this move will surprise a lot of fans but in hindsight, Luis could prove to be the perfect solution to Arsenal’s left-back problems.
Luis, rated at approximately €30million, is a world-class left-back, who has been a mainstay in Diego Simeone’s team for years. His overlapping runs and his pace on the counter are his trademark moves. He has a mean left foot which should help him find the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette with ease.
Although he missed almost half of last season, he still managed to make 19 key passes, doing so at an average of 1 key pass per game. His astute positioning and reading of the game enabled him to make 101 interceptions and 109 tackles over the past two La Liga seasons.
Luis, who has been at Atletico Madrid for over seven years, has won a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey, a Europa League and has played in two Champions League finals. Interestingly, he has already spent one year in England, at Chelsea in the 2014/15 season, where he won the Premier League and League Cup double under Jose Mourinho. So, the Premier League wouldn’t be a completely new league for the Spaniard.
Luis’ transfer to the Emirates should bring in a winning mentality and that is something the Gunners desperately need. He has been a winner all his life and his characteristics should rub off on his teammates as well.
Emery has already invested for the right-back position by bringing in a serial winner from Juventus, Stephan Lichsteiner. Hence, the potential move for Luis confirms the notion that Emery wants proven leaders at the back to take his team forward.
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The only problem with Luis’s transfer, however, is his age. At 33, he won’t be staying at Arsenal for long but his aura and experience should be enough to galvanize the dressing room and motivate them to get back into the Champions League as soon as possible.
