Jerome Boateng has been reportedly considered by Premier League powerhouses Arsenal – but will the Bayern Munich legend leave the Bundesliga?
Arsenal have reservations about bringing Jerome Boateng to the Emirates, according to Goal, with the Bayern Munich star under consideration by the North London giants.
That The Gunners are crying out for reinforcements at centre-back is pretty much non-negotiable but whether Boateng is the right man for the job is another matter altogether.
A World Cup winner and seven-time Bundesliga champion he may be but, at the age of 31, the former Manchester City defender is no longer a candidate to be the greatest centre-half on the planet. In fact, he’s not even the best at Bayern these days.
Injuries have taken their toll with Boateng restricted to an average of 16 Bundesliga starts over the last four seasons. No wonder Arsenal are having second thoughts, according to Goal, with the Gunners chiefs concerned about his fitness record.
It was Sky Deutschland who broke the news last week that the London giants had opened talks about a potential £13 million deal for a man who shone under Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola in Bavaria.
But, as Goal reports, funds are tight after a substantial summer outlay and paying even a cut-price fee for an injury-prone 31-year-old may be a risk that Arsenal cannot afford to take – quite literally.
There’s no doubt that Boateng at his best would represent a substantial upgrade on David Luiz and Sokratis Papastathopoulos. He was even used as something as an auxiliary quarterback under Guardiola due to his supreme passing range.
But this is not a question of quality.
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