Arsenal are in for a busy transfer deadline day.
It’s been a productive summer for all those involved with Arsenal football club. The Gunners had a big spending haul, bringing in five players. Although the names are often questioned (and not just for the lengths), it would be unfair to say Arsenal haven’t strengthened.
The transfer deadline day is always full of drama though, so Arsenal fans will be hopeful of more to come. And they may just get that in Besiktas defender, Domagoj Vida. This news is according to London Evening Standard.
It would make sense.
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Despite signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos, the Gunners are still short in the center back department. Laurent Koscielny will be unavailable through injury, and Calum Chambers has been sent out on loan.
This leaves only Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi as the senior defenders, with Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos acting as backups. This is by no means enough.
Arsenal will be playing in the Europa League next season. With their opening Premier League fixtures being tougher than ever, the players could be drained. Rotation is key, but you can’t achieve rotation without squad depth.
Vida could easily make the first team if Unai Emery prefers him over either Sokratis or Mustafi, so this deal makes complete sense. It might seem like a panic buy, but the squad will reap all the benefits.
A hard-hitting defender.
Much like Sokratis, the Croatian is a real brute at the back. He loves to compete with opposing attackers for aerial duels, winning them more often than not.
However, unlike Sokratis, his passing of the ball is relatively good. He enjoys passing it out of the back for Besiktas, and we saw this was the case for World Cup runners up Croatia.
In the World Cup, Vida picked up a goal and an assist, which is very impressive for a center back. He especially shined in the knockout matches against England and Russia, both of which called for resilience at the back.
He went to extra time on three consecutive occasions at the tournament, which says plenty about his stamina. He also played the entire 90 minutes of the final against France, picking up an assist.
He’s definitely a big game player, which is something Arsenal need. Particularly at the back, the Gunners have let it slip on the big occasion. This is something they wish to improve under Emery, and the acquisition of Vida will help with that.
Do you think Arsenal are right to be pursuing Domagoj Vida?