Arsenal have been asked to pay the asking price of €100m (£86.3m) for RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano, according to The Athletic.
The question is, do the Gunners need him?
Unai Emery’s side have been linked with the Frenchman for the majority of the summer after having a £55m bid previously rejected. Despite this, Arsenal bolstered their defence with the addition of the 18-year-old Saint-Etienne centre back William Saliba, only for the Frenchman to return to Les Verts on a season-long loan.
So why are Arsenal trying to sign another centre back? Is he needed?
Here’s why Unai Emery already has his very own Dayot Upamecano at the club.
During the 2018/19 campaign and in the 16 games that he played, Saliba averaged two tackles per game and 2.7 clearances, along with an average of 1.8 interceptions and a passing accuracy of 85.6%. Saliba has received praise from some of the most iconic figures in Europe. Former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho described him as being exactly like Kurt Zouma, who has won the Premier League twice with the Blues. per RMC (via talkSPORT).
The Gunners were looking for a long-term replacement for the former skipper Laurent Koscielny and believe that Saliba is the answer. With Hector Bellerin injured, the 18-year-old also has the versatility to play in the right-back role which will come as a huge advantage in terms of Arsenal’s defensive squad depth.
As eye-catching as his statistics appear, it’s difficult to ignore what Upamecano has achieved in the past 12 months. However, they do not compare to Saliba in any way.
As a 19-year-old, the RB Leipzig centre back featured 15 times in the German Bundesliga and averaged 1.5 tackles, 2.2 interceptions, 1.1 fouls, 2.9 clearances and was shortlisted for the 2018 Golden Boy award last season. He achieved a passing accuracy of 82.5% which was not as high as his fellow countryman.
Unai Emery has to be given credit for snatching the 18-year-old away from the French-outfit for such a low price, considering the inflated rate suggested to them for Upamecano. With Saliba edging out the 20-year-old in almost every defensive area, Arsenal already have their very own Upamecano on their hands, without buying him.
As David Ornstein from The Athletic said, there does not appear to be any urgency in going after a centre half at this stage due to the options that the club already has. The club should follow their gut and wait for the arrival of Saliba next summer instead of paying millions for another defender.
