Mark Lawrenson has slammed rumours that Arsenal want to sign Kalidou Koulibaly as ridiculous, whilst speaking to Football Focus.
The Sun claimed earlier this month that Arsenal, along with a number of their Premier League rivals, have made contact regarding the possibility of signing Napoli’s defensive wall, Koulibaly.
Whilst the Gunners have produced two standout results and performances recently – wins against Liverpool and Manchester City – they are still in need of defenders – and Napoli’s powerhouse wouldn’t just be ideal for the Gunners, but City also.
Prior to Mikel Arteta’s side producing a defensive and offensive masterclass yesterday, Lawrenson shared how the Arsenal manager will find that changing things in the transfer market will prove to be most difficult for him.
“Yes [it is a big ship to turnaround],” Lawrenson told Football Focus. “I think the biggest thing he has to turnaround is the transfer policy and recruitment.
“You buy someone like Pepe for £70 odd million and the world and his wife knew that they need central defenders. And they still need central defenders. That’s going to be the biggest challenge for Arteta.
“They are really good going forward, but at the back, they are hopeless. Where do you go and get them? They are not around [centre-backs]? They’re talking about Koulibaly for £90 million and he’s 29. It’s ridiculous.”
David Luiz has penned a new deal at the club, so it’s obvious that Arteta still wants him part of his plans, but which Luiz will turn up next season?
The one that produced an error-prone display at the Etihad or the one that was near-on faultless at Wembley?
Given this uncertainty and Arsenal’s defensive problems in recent years then signing a centre-back is a must when the window re-opens, but bringing in Koulibaly might just prove to be too ambitious.
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