Arsenal are close to completing the signing of Ben White, but Mikel Arteta and Edu haven’t forgotten about one of their previous targets – Edmond Tapsoba.
German outlet Kicker revealed about a month ago that the Gunners are really keen to sign the Bayer Leverkusen defender. A part swap deal with William Saliba going the other way was also reported, but those rumours quickly disappeared.
Arsenal turned their attention to White and it looks like we’re on the verge of securing his signature. The Englishman is a fantastic player, and his arrival certainly fills the void we currently have in the heart of our defence.
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Fabrizio Romano: Arsenal still love Edmond Tapsoba
White’s imminent arrival made fans believe that Tapsoba is not on our radar anymore. However, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Arsenal still love the 6ft 4in defender, and we will continue keeping tabs on him to potentially sign him one day.
He said on the Here We Go podcast: “Lokonga finally is done, next one will be Ben White. The agreement with Brighton is done, £50 million. The contract is ready for the player and he will have his medical once he’ll be back from his holiday. Ben White will be the new centre-back of Arsenal.
“For the future, they will continue keeping tabs and looking at Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen. He is a player they love, but at the moment, they decided to go with Ben White.”
The Insider’s View:
Tapsoba, valued at £68.5 million, is one of the most promising centre-halves in the Bundesliga at the moment. He is rated very highly by everyone who has watched him over the last 18 months, and there is no doubt that he’ll have a fine career at the top level.
Standing at 6ft 4in tall, the defender’s aerial prowess is predictable, but he is surprisingly fast for his size too. He’s very composed in possession and is ridiculously strong in duels as well, which makes him a really good fit for the Premier League.
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Arsenal don’t really need a new centre-half any time soon. William Saliba will also come back next season, which will increase the options at the back. However, keeping tabs on a top-quality player like Tapsoba is not a bad move at all, and if an opportunity to sign him arises next year, it won’t be a surprise to see Edu make a move.
