FC Basel defender is the perfect man to plug Arsenal’s defensive gap
Published:
The temptation to join the clamours calling for Arsene Wenger to add some defensive bite to his side has become so irresistible that even the shareholders are getting involved.
Alisher Usmanov, the club’s second-biggest shareholder, recently accused Wenger of failing to learn from his mistakes and stated his belief that the Gunners need to strengthen every area of the field in order to compete with the best in England and Europe.
The north London club, who are a distant 80/1 to win the Premier League, 25/1 to win the Champions League and 4/6 to reclaim a top-four spot, seem to be taking their Russian stakeholders advice if latest rumours are to be believed.
Now three games without a win, the need for a new central defender, as well as a holding midfielder of real muscle, is becoming more and more evident for Arsenal and they are looking to remedy the former problem position with a bid for FC Basel’s Fabian Schar.
The Swiss international has long been on the Gunners’ radar but, having performed a number of scouting missions to watch the defender, it now seems the time is right for Wenger to make a bid.
That bid will likely be around the £9.5m mark, with Schar able to slot straight into a Gunners’ backline that has relied on Nacho Monreal filling in at centre-half in recent weeks.
A player with international experience, as well as exposure to the Champions League, Schar is also young enough to fit into what has become a typical Wenger signing.
At 22, Schar could help form the base of Arsenal’s defence alongside Calum Chambers for some time, but crucially is able to come in and perform immediately too, making him the ideal man to solve Arsenal’s shortcomings in that area.
All that’s left is the rest of the pitch.
strong>All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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