Arsenal have added another talented young centre-back to their short-list ahead of the summer transfer window, with Le10 Sport claiming that Borussia Monchengladbach’s Nico Elvedi is a target.
It is no secret that the Gunners are hoping to add some fresh new blood to a rather unconvincing backline, and there appears to be no shortage of highly-rated youngsters under consideration, from Axel Disasi to Unai Nunez, Pau Torres to Dayot Upamecano.
Now, we can add a new name to the list – Switzerland international Elvedi.
And there are plenty of reasons why the 23-year-old Bundesliga ace allegedly has admirers at the Emirates.
A classy, ball-playing defender who shot to fame with a performance beyond his years as Gladbach thumped Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich 3-1 five years ago, Elvedi’s 91 per cent pass completion rate suggests he would be a perfect fit for Arteta’s tactical blueprint.
Unsurprisingly for a man who worked under Arsene Wenger before sharpening his tactical teeth alongside Guardiola himself at Manchester City, the rookie Spaniard believes possession is the way to go.
At 6ft 2ins, Elvedi is not short of physicality either. He also has almost 150 Bundesliga appearances, plus a further 17 international caps, under his belt.
Usually, a player of his potential would be far too expensive for a club with Arsenal’s meagre resources but, as Le10 Sport points out, Monchengladbach may be forced to listen to cut-price offers this summer with Elvedi’s contract due to expire in 2021.
Arsenal may never have a better chance to get one of Europe’s most promising defenders through the door – especially with Bayern Munich sniffing around.
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