Ahead of both the January and summer transfer windows, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side seem to be acquiring some lofty targets.
Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen are two names often linked with the side, additions that fans certainly wouldn’t argue with.
And whilst a striker does seem to be on the agenda, reports suggest that addition of a defender is currently seen as a priority.
Arsenal are currently without both Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu owing to injury, and alternatives are now too light.
That being said, The Athletic recently reported that Arsenal and Mikel Arteta hold long-term transfer interest in Bayern Munich’s Matthijs De Ligt – a fine player in his own right.
However, he may not be the smartest choice ahead of next summer.
Arsenal are likely to look for a short-term solution on loan in January, before perhaps solving the situation with a strong addition in the following window.
And whilst De Ligt may be a name that excites fans, Ousmane Diomande should be the priority signing instead.
Perhaps both would command a similar fee, upwards of £50m, and therefore Diomande could represent much better value.
And I’ll explain why.
Ousmane Diomande is a smarter transfer target than Matthijs De Ligt for Mikel Arteta at Arsenal
First of all, wages.
24-year-old De Ligt is thought to earn £263k-a-week at Bayern Munich, a figure that dwarfs Diomande’s figure in Portugal.
And when you consider that this centre-back addition would be envisioned to compete with William Saliba or Gabriel Magalhaes, De Ligt’s wage isn’t befitting.
20-year-old Diomande would surely be in a much better position to develop whilst initially on the sidelines, a player who may be more patient.
Furthermore, there’s also an argument to say that Diomande simply has a higher ceiling at this point of his career.
The defender should be targeted by all of Europe’s elite, a profile that is needed in so many teams.
Given his release clause, £70m Diomande is also much more attainable for Arsenal once they gather the funds.
As mentioned, that’s unlikely to be in January, but it’s still a big positive to consider.
Mikel Arteta clearly has big ambitions for the transfer windows to come, and signing either De Ligt or Diomande would match that vision.
However, the latter could prove to be a much smarter acquisition, a player destined for the top of the game.
And speaking of clever signings, Arsenal should now also be considering signing another Chelsea player in January.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
