According to a report from Italian outlet Calcio Mercato, Arsenal are interested in a double swoop of Juventus’ Sami Khedira and Daniele Rugani before the end of the transfer window.
Why the moves make zero sense:
A World Cup winner, Khedira has made a name for being one of the most efficient midfielders in world football. However, the interest in Khedira comes in as a real shock considering the number of options Emery has in midfield..
Lucas Torreira, Granit Xhaka, Matteo Gundouzi, Joe Willock, Mo Elneny and new signing Dani Ceballos are all capable of playing in the role that Khedira plays in and a move for him makes zero sense in this summer window.
On the other hand, we are in dire need of a new centre-half with Laurent Koscielny close to an exit. Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Shkodran Mustafi remain as the only experienced options available for the opening game against Newcastle.
MORE ARSENAL STORIES
Calum Chambers’ future is still unclear while Rob Holding’s injury rules him out of the first few games. A move for a new defender is an absolute necessity but Daniele Rugani is not the solution to the problems.
Arsenal have reportedly offered a two-year loan deal but Rugani would not be an upgrade to any of our centre-halves. The 25-year-old’s positioning has been highly suspect in recent seasons. His struggles to cope with fast attackers as evident on multiple occasions in Italy will only add to Arsenal’s current set of problems instead of solving them.
Unai Emery should abandon the double Juventus swoop this summer and the Gunners should instead focus on an experienced centre-half who will be able to fill the void left by Koscielny next season.
