Report: Arsenal eye move for defender who was directly involved in 35 goals last season

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According to 90min, Arsenal are battling Manchester United and two other Premier League clubs to sign Rangers captain James Tavernier this summer.

The Gunners are on the lookout for a new right-back with Hector Bellerin set to leave the club. The Spaniard dropped down the pecking order in the back end of last season and it is very likely that he will move on this summer after 10 years at the club.

Arsenal will need a top-quality replacement for Bellerin and we have been linked with a ton of right-backs already. Tavernier is reportedly the latest name on Mikel Arteta’s wish list and he is an interesting option.

Arsenal-linked James Tavernier is incredibly prolific

Attack-minded full-backs are a necessity in the modern game and Tavernier’s offensive numbers will make you believe that he’s one.

The Englishman, in his six years at Ibrox, has scored a staggering 65 goals and has provided 90 assists. That is an outrageous return for someone who plays as a right-back, and his record last season puts everyone at Arsenal to shame.

Tavernier scored 19 goals and provided 16 assists in all competitions last season (Transfermarkt). 35 direct goal involvements for a defender is simply mind-blowing and that could well be why Arsenal and United are so keen to sign him.

Should Arsenal sign Tavernier?

The last player Arsenal signed from Scotland – Kieran Tierney – is turning out to be one of our best buys ever. Tavernier is just as big a hero to Rangers supporters as KT was to Celtic fans, but is he really the right player for us?

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Tavernier is 29 already and his previous spells in English football weren’t great. He is a really good player and a fantastic leader as well, but Arsenal should be focusing on someone much younger in this summer’s transfer window.

Our reported interest in Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, James Maddison and Ben White shows that we aren’t too keen on players over the age of 25. This transfer policy is the right one and it makes no sense for Edu and Arteta to change things now.