Premier League underachievers Arsenal need defensive reinforcements but could Villarreal’s La Liga speedster Pau Torres become Mikel Arteta’s new man?
If Mikel Arteta plans to replicate Pep Guardiola’s famously high-defensive line at Arsenal, he probably needs different personnel to make the system work.
After all, Shkodran Mustafi, David Luiz and Sokratis Papsatathopoulos are hardly renowned for their speed across the turf, with two of the Gunners’ much-maligned back line the wrong side of 30.
So not only would Pau Torres reduce the average age of the Arsenal defence, he would also give Arteta the freedom to push his side higher up the pitch, safe in the knowledge that the Spaniard has the raw pace to avoid being left red-faced by off-the-shoulder merchants like Jamie Vardy.
According to El Gol Digital, the North London giants have identified Villarreal’s £43 million-rated youngster as their top defensive target ahead of the summer transfer window, after it emerged that fellow Spain international Unai Nunez is set to sign a new deal at Athletic Bilbao.
With La Razon publishing a list of the ten fastest footballers in La Liga, Torres’s name leaps off the page. He is, after all, the only central defender among an array of fleet-footed wingers and dynamic, all-action midfielders.
The publication claims that Torres has reached a top speed of 34.9km (or 21mph) an hour this season, making him quicker off the mark than Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann, Vinicius Jr and co.
Speed isn’t everything in a modern era obsessed with positioning and control. But players with explosive pace will always come in handy, as Arsenal fans may discover very soon.
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