Fansided

5 possible defenders for Arsenal to target this summer

By Kevin Parvizi

Unai Emery manager of Arsenalduring during English Premier League between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at Wembley stadium, in London, England on 2 Mar 2019. (Photo by Action Foto Sport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Unai Emery manager of Arsenalduring during English Premier League between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at Wembley stadium, in London, England on 2 Mar 2019. (Photo by Action Foto Sport/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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18 May 2019, Bremen: Soccer: Bundesliga, Werder Bremen – RB Leipzig, 34th matchday. Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano gestures during the game. Photo: Carmen Jaspersen/dpa – IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the requirements of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga or the DFB Deutscher Fußball-Bund, it is prohibited to use or have used photographs taken in the stadium and/or the match in the form of sequence images and/or video-like photo sequences. (Photo by Carmen Jaspersen/picture alliance via Getty Images)
18 May 2019, Bremen: Soccer: Bundesliga, Werder Bremen – RB Leipzig, 34th matchday. Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano gestures during the game. Photo: Carmen Jaspersen/dpa – IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the requirements of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga or the DFB Deutscher Fußball-Bund, it is prohibited to use or have used photographs taken in the stadium and/or the match in the form of sequence images and/or video-like photo sequences. (Photo by Carmen Jaspersen/picture alliance via Getty Images) /

Dayot Upamecano

Dayot Upamecano entered the 2018-2019 campaign as one of the Bundesliga’s most promising center backs, but he finished the year on the bench behind the world-class tandem of Willi Orban and Ibrahima Konate. Though he came on as a substitute for Orban in RB Leipzig’s DFB-Pokal Final loss to Bayern Munich, Upamecano didn’t look his usual self in that game and was roundly beaten for pace several times by star striker Robert Lewandowski.

At his best, Upamecano is a legitimate star at the position and has enough quality to start for a club like Arsenal. He was only on the bench at Leipzig due to the sheer quality of Leipzig’s starters. Furthermore, he might not be much more expensive than Saliba, and he’s both more proven and more individually talented than the promising Ligue 1 prospect.

Upamecano was absolutely brilliant in the 2017-2018 Bundesliga and Champions League campaigns for Leipzig, so a bounce-back campaign is in the cards for the 20-year-old. He is a genius when it comes to reading the game and making interceptions, and all he needs to do is regain his form in terms of conditioning. That will surely come with regular playing time.

Out of all the realistic options for Arsenal that could fit their transfer budget, Upamecano looks like the best transfer target for Emery.

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