Maybe it’s the 6ft 3ins frame. Maybe it’s the way he glides across the pitch with an effortless ease. Maybe it’s the way he bats away an onrushing striker like a nagging mosquito, before pinging an inch-perfect 60-yard pass into the stride of a grateful team-mate.
Either way, there are a few reasons why Kim Min-Jae has been labelled Asia’s answer to Virgil van Dijk.
Nicknamed ‘The Monster’ and compared to arguably the greatest and most complete centre-half of the last ten years, this little-known South Korea international would certainly arrive in England with a lot of expectation on his shoulders.
According to A Bola, Arsenal are interested in snapping up the 23-year-old, who has just 18 months left on his contract at Chinese Super League outfit Beijing Gouan.
And if Kim proves to be half the defender that Van Dijk has been since joining Liverpool in a world-record £75 million deal, he could be one of the missing pieces in Mikel Arteta’s jigsaw.
It is no secret that the Gunners are scouring the market for a commanding, yet classy centre-half capable of forging a partnership with William Saliba for years to come.
And while Kim is totally unproven in Europe let alone England, Heung Min-Son’s international team-mate certainly ticks a lot of boxes at the Emirates.
He has the technical ability Arteta, a disciple of Pep Guardiola, is looking for, while possessing the strength, pace and physique required to shine in the Premier League.
Though Kim will know that, if his Arsenal career begins with a shaky moment or two, that Van Dijk comparison will soon become a stick with which to beat him.
“As a defender, I cannot make any mistakes. A clean sheet is very important. If we don’t allow goals, we don’t lose and it gives us the chance to win,” Kim told AFC last year.
Stating the obvious he might have been, but Arsenal could certainly do with a centre-back who understands the basics.
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