North London rivals Arsenal and Spurs are competing to bring Borussia Monchengladbach defender Jannik Vestergaard to the Premier League from the Bundesliga.
Anyone who watched Calum Chambers and Shkodran Mustafi conspire to gift Alvaro Morata three clear chances in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw between Arsenal and Chelsea will probably agree that a powerful new centre-back would be welcome at the Emirates Stadium.
And, according to Tuttomercatoweb, Arsene Wenger is indeed interested in enhancing his defensive options, with Borussia Monchengladbach’s man mountain Jannik Vestergaard reportedly identified as the man to replace Per Mertesacker when he retires at the end of the season.
Interestingly, however, Arsenal are not the only side hoping to take the Dane to North London. The report adds that Tottenham Hotspur, who were linked back in 2016 when Vestergaard was at Werder Bremen, are also admirers of the 6ft 5ins giant.
But what would Spurs or Arsenal be getting for their money? Well, a defender who is unsurprisingly fearsome in the air but also an excellent technician, blessed with an impressive range of passing and composure in the tackle.
Just to make the 25-year-old even more attractive, however, he could lay claim to being the most dangerous goal-scoring defender in European football.
Vestergaard scored seven Bundesliga goals in 2017 – a tally higher than all the Spurs and Arsenal defenders have managed combined. In fact, only Braga’s Rafa Silva netted more times from centre-back in the calendar year.
So while Tottenham and Arsenal would obviously be hoping to reinforce back lines that look a little light on depth, Vestergaard’s ability in both boxes should add an extra plus point next to his name.
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