Arsenal are reportedly ready to look ahead to the summer transfer window, as the 2022/23 campaign comes to a close this weekend.
The Gunners have endured an unexpectedly strong season, establishing themselves as title challengers alongside Manchester City, in a prolonged run that came to a bitter end in the latter stages.
Despite falling with the final hurdle in sight, Mikel Arteta has given the club lots to celebrate this term, putting Arsenal back among Europe's elite in qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2016.
Squad depth proved to be a contributing factor to the Gunners’ failure to win the title, but with the summer transfer window fast approaching, Arteta will look to put things right ahead of next season.
Defensive instability saw Arsenal crumble when it mattered most, though recent news emerging has linked a famed defender in Europe to the Emirates.
What’s the latest on Jules Kounde to Arsenal?
According to reports in Spain earlier this week, three Premier League clubs are interested in signing Barcelona centre-back Jules Kounde this summer.
The report states that Arsenal, along with Manchester City and Manchester United, have shown “strong interest” in the 24-year-old, who is speculated to want to depart Catalonia due to arguments over his playing position.
Valued at a reported €75m (£65m), the centre-back could be a worthy addition to the clubs thought to be interested.
What could Jules Kounde offer Arsenal?
When William Saliba was injured in March against Sporting CP, the Frenchman’s absence became quickly noticeable, and the gaps in Arteta’s young squad became clearer.
It was an injury that, as described by journalist Charles Watts, “killed Arsenal’s season”, with the Gunners’ win percentage dropping from 78% to 44%, showing his undeniable influence on the Emirates defence.
Kounde could be the missing piece to Arteta’s title-winning masterplan, as the 24-year-old could not only supply the Spaniard with depth, but competition for his leading centre-backs Gabriel Magalhaes and Saliba, who have no close figures in terms of quality in the squad.
The versatile centre-back, hailed as having “enormous potential” by scout Jacek Kulig, has numbers to support claims that he is one of Europe’s best early into his budding career.
There is so much more to the Frenchman’s game than sitting back and defending pressure, as shown by his FBref statistics, which rank him in the top 2% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for elements in his progressive play.
As per FBref, the “awesome” talent averages 6.74 progressive passes and 1.99 progressive carries per 90 – incomparable to Arsenal’s current defensive rotation option of Rob Holding, who registers 4.35 progressive passes and 0.53 progressive carries per 90.
Lauded by Marca journalist Miguel Angel Garcia as being the “closest thing” to Sergio Ramos back in 2021, the Frenchman has received high praise for his exploits at Barcelona, arguably making him a worthy fit for any defence in Europe with a huge career ahead.
One thing is certain, and that is Arsenal’s desperation to recruit central defenders this summer, as the absence of Saliba paired with the mishaps of Holding dented the Gunners’ success this campaign – and is a stain that is easily rectifiable this summer.
