Arsenal’s performance against Bayern Munich last week will have compounded their critics. It’s been so easy to simply label Arsenal’s defense a ‘mess’ and have this taken for granted.
But recent performances against the Germans and Sunderland (when they were down to ten men) have proven that Arsenal’s defending can be world-class on its day.
Though it’s fair to say that these days can be too few and far between. Per Mertesacker’s pace (or lack thereof) has caused problems for Arsenal and Thomas Vermaelen has been extremely erratic this season.
With all this in mind, it makes sense that Arsene Wenger should take to the transfer window this summer to try and right these wrongs.
But it’s going to take a defender of real talent to step in and do a job in a system that always seems to put Arsenal on the back-foot defensively.
The Gunners are in desperate need of a defensive midfielder, but that’s an article for another time. The most pressing addition is a new centre-back who can provide Per and Thomas with some competition.
Up steps Adil Rami, who has recently been linked to the Gunners by The Express. It’s claimed that Arsene Wenger could be ready to submit a £10m bid for the highly regarded Valencia defender. He’s also been linked to Anzhi Makhachkala, but has made it clear that any future moves will be made for footballing reasons and not for money.
In other words, he’s not Christopher Samba. He told the Press: “I am very well here [at Valencia] and there are still two years until the end of my contract. For me the most important thing is to play. Money does not matter to me at this time in my life.”
With that in mind, he’d probably prefer to move to the Emirates, rather than the raging cold wind’s of Russia.
Rami himself, is a rather impressive player. He’s strong in the air and smart positionally. He’d also fit in neatly into the Arsenal system as his distribution is excellent. He can dribble with the ball and pass it about neatly.
In his 28 La Liga appearances this year, he’s been very impressive and it’s little wonder that he’s attracted some attention from other clubs. He’s a top class talent and Arsenal would do well to start making inquiries.
What’s your take? Could Adil Rami be the defensive fix Arsenal need?
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