Is Arsenal target Shkodran Mustafi worth £43.1 million?

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We take a look at Arsenal target Shkodran Mustafi, and whether or not he would be worth £43.1 million.

Valencia manager Pako Ayestaran has insisted that Arsenal target Shkodran Mustafi will not be leaving the Spanish club unless his £43.1 million release clause is met in full, as reported by Sky Sports.

With Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said to still be extremely interested in the talented German defender however, we take a look at whether or not Mustafi would be able to justify such a lofty fee were he to make the move across to London.

A former graduate of Hamburg and Everton’s academy between 2006 and 2012, Mustafi failed to make a serious impression at either club, making just one solitary substitute appearance for the Merseyside club in December 2009 – coming on for the final 15 minutes against BATE Borisov in a Europa League qualifier.

After having moved to then-Italian Serie B side Sampdoria in January 2012, however, the 19-year-old Mustafi quickly began establishing a reputation for himself as a promising young centre-back.

Making only a single appearance in his debut season, but a further 52 over the following two seasons, Mustafi became a fixture of Sampdoria’s first team, helping the team stave off relegation – eventually finishing in a very respectable 12^th position in the 2013-2014 season.

Mustafi’s form at Sampdoria was enough to earn him a £6 million move to Valencia in the summer of 2014, with the young centre-back also earning his first call-up to Joachim Low’s Germany squad for a friendly against Chile.

Since joining Valencia, Mustafi has made 78 appearances in total across his two seasons at the former Spanish champions, appearing 61 times in La Liga – as well as 10 times in last season’s Europa League.

A modern, all-round defender who is both confident with the ball at his feet, as well as in the opposition’s box – as shown by his six La Liga goals for Valencia – Mustafi certainly fits into the profile of an Arsenal-type centre-back.

At only 24, Mustafi would also certainly provide a long-term solution to Arsenal’s long-standing issues in the heart of their defence. But is he worth £43.1 million?

With John Stones having joined Manchester City this summer for almost £50 million, much emphasis has certainly been placed on the value of centre-backs in today’s modern game.

Whilst some may argue that the only players capable of justifying that sort of fee are world-class forwards who will score 40-50 goals a season, others also argue that for a talented young player – who could have 10 or so years at the top still ahead of him – it is nothing but a sensible investment.

For Arsenal especially, this certainly makes a lot of sense. For a club with such a strong footballing philosophy, and for a club which puts such emphasis on continuity and youth development, Mustafi could present the perfect base to build their defence around for the next decade.

As for the fee, although undoubtedly it remains a staggering amount of money to pay for a footballer – let alone a defender – If Mustafi were to join Arsenal, and act as the catalyst needed to bring them back amongst the world’s very best, £43.1 million may just prove to be a bargain in the long run.