Unai Emery is monitoring Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico as a potential solution to his left-back crisis and might make a move to sign him in January, claims the Mirror.
Arsenal are currently on a high after winning 11 games in a row across all competitions. The Gunners followed up a 3-1 victory over Leicester City with a 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League, thanks to a solitary strike from Danny Welbeck in the second half.
Although Mesut Ozil ran the show against Leicester and Arsenal played some amazing football, the Gunners were exposed at the back throughout the first half. Injuries to Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac forced Stephan Lichtsteiner to fill in the role of a left-back. The veteran did his job but the lack of depth in the squad was quite evident.
As a matter of fact, Granit Xhaka was used as a left-back against Sporting Lisbon while Lichtsteiner started on the right. Xhaka did a decent job but looked uncomfortable with his movement and positioning and did not offer much to the attacking play. In other words, he is likely to be exposed against more potent opponents.
Kolasinac missed the opening stages of the season due to an injury but made an appearance in the Europa League against Qarabag. Operating as a left-wing-back, he looked rusty and off the pace. To add to Arsenal’s woes, he had a recurrence to his injury.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles started the opening game of the season against Manchester City in the absence of Nacho Monreal but left the field midway with a minor fracture to his tibia. He has started to train with the squad following his return from injury but Emery must not force him back to action.
As things stand, Arsenal currently do not have much depth in their left-back department. While Monreal is set to turn 33 in February, Kolasinac is too injury-prone to rely on. Meanwhile, Maitland-Niles is still very young to perform on a consistent basis.
Suffice to say, Arsenal need a left-back to keep pace with their rivals in the Premier League and Argentian’s Nicolas Tagliafico is an ideal option for that purpose.
Tagliafico, who featured for Argentina at the World Cup in Russia, was one of the hottest talents in Argentina’s domestic league. He moved to Ajax earlier in January this year after three fruitful seasons with Independiente.
And the 26-year-old has already earned rave reviews for his consistent performances in the Eredivisie. Standing at 5ft 7 inches, he is neither the tallest nor the most physically imposing full-back. However, he makes up for it with his superior technical abilities. He is an aggressive defender by nature and doesn’t hesitate to stick his foot out when necessary.
The Argentine international combines his tackling with his game-reading abilities to deal with the opposition’s attacks. Furthermore, has the pace to cover extra ground and is adept at dealing with counter-attacks.
As a matter of fact, Tagliafico has averaged 2.3 tackles and 2.6 interceptions per game in the Eredivisie this term, speaking volumes of his quality as a full-back.
To go with his defensive qualities, the Argentine also has the ability to contribute to the attack. He is comfortable on the ball while playing out from the back with short passes, making him a perfect fit for Emery’s philosophy.
The 26-year-old has averaged 58.6 passes per game with a success percentage of 85.9 in the Eredivisie. Apart from that, he is also a good crosser of the ball and tends to get the perfect dip and loop on his crosses.
Hence, Arsenal should not hesitate to splash the cash to sign Nicolas Tagliafico in January. Not only will he add depth to the squad but can also boost Arsenal’s chances of challenging for the title.