Darren Bent thinks that Mikel Arteta should part ways with Shkodran Mustafi this summer, as well as Callum Chambers.
The former striker claimed that Mustafi is ‘past his best’ and that it’s time for the 28-year-old to ‘move on’, as he told talkSPORT (23/08/20 at 3:35 pm).
Arsenal are seemingly making changes to their backline with Gabriel closing in on a move from Lille, as reported by Sky Sports.
If he does arrive then that would leave Arteta with up to eight centre-back’s at his disposal, as Bent shared his thoughts on Mustafi, Chambers and David Luiz.
“As far as Mustafi and Chambers go, I think for those two guys, especially Mustafi, he’s now past his best,” Bent told talkSPORT. “I think it’s time for him to move on.
“I think he’s better in a three, David Luiz. I think in a two you can’t trust him enough. But in a three, I think he’s perfect for that role.
On Luiz playing in midfield: “I have heard it been spoken about before, but for me, I prefer him as a centre-half in a three rather than holding midfield because they can play out from the back. I think Xhaka’s done alright. Since when he stormed off [against Palace], I think he has done reasonably well.”
Not many Arsenal defenders, other than the likes of Kieran Tierney or Cedric Soares, who only just arrived in January, can claim that they haven’t messed up in any way recently.
All have been at fault at times and it has been quite clear for far too long now that changes need to be made to Arsenal’s backline.
It seems as though that will be the case this summer, and if Arteta can get his wish, then for the first time in a very long time the Arsenal faithful can have some hope that they are making the right steps forward.
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