The reasoning behind Arsenal’s interest in Marc Guehi is a mystery to some, but some additional information has just been revealed.
Many were shocked when it became apparent that Arsenal are in the transfer race to sign Guehi from Crystal Palace.
Though Manchester City want to sign Guehi this month, and are the only club to have that stance, Mikel Arteta is still keen to bring the defender to the Emirates in the summer.
At the end of the season, Arsenal can sign the England international for free, at the expiry of his contract at Palace, but what’s the plan?
Arsenal enter the Marc Guehi race, in your own words WHY?
Reason for Arsenal’s transfer interest in Marc Guehi explained
If there’s one position Arsenal don’t need to add to, it’s the defence, or so some may have assumed.
With two of the best centre-backs in the world in William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, Arsenal are well-stocked, which makes the Guehi interest rather confusing.
As talk continues to grow, FootballTransfers have now shared what they know about why Arteta is so eager to add Guehi to his ranks.
Firstly, it’s important to note that if Guehi were to arrive, the futures of the current crop of defenders wouldn’t be impacted.
So, with that said, what are the two motives behind Arsenal’s interest?
The first is that Arsenal have a long-term plan for the left side of their defence, with Myles Lewis-Skelly set to be moved from left-back to midfield…finally.
If Myles Lewis-Skelly could only play in one position for the rest of his career, would you have him at left-back or in midfield?
What's his best position?
As a result, Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori will be the two contenders to rotate at left-back, moving them away from contention centrally.
The second reason is a domino effect of the above, as Arteta will then need another top-quality centre-back to support Saliba and Gabriel full-time alongside Cristhian Mosquera.
As per FootballTransfers’ understanding, Guehi is regarded to be a source of support and competition for Gabriel on the left side while Mosquera is Saliba’s number two.
When put like that, it makes sense, but it does seem awfully greedy for Arsenal to have such a plethora of world-class defensive talent.
The future looks bright for Myles Lewis-Skelly at Arsenal
Signing Guehi would be a big win for Arsenal, but the biggest win from the deal would undoubtedly come from Lewis-Skelly’s position change.
Lewis-Skelly has been struggling for form this season and looks a little lost at left-back, which is unsurprising, given that he’s a central midfielder by trade.
Change my mind: Myles Lewis-Skelly cannot play at LB for Arsenal again, it has to be midfield.
Finally, Arsenal fans will get a long-awaited glimpse of the teenager in his favoured role, which is so exciting and a huge plus for the future of the midfield.
Jack Wilshere only ever saw Lewis-Skelly as a midfielder, and now, Arteta might finally be seeing the light to utilise the academy graduate in the best way.
Right now, the thing to watch is what the future holds for Guehi, who is one element of the plan for Lewis-Skelly’s transition.
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