Arsenal technical director Edu has earmarked the signing of a back-up left-back ahead of the summer transfer window, according to football.london.
The Gunners were said to be in for a left-sided defender in the January transfer window with Junior Firpo a reported target, however, a move never materialised.
Mikel Arteta’s side were left short on the left side of defence after Sead Kolasinac was allowed to leave on a short-term loan spell to Schalke. In his and Kieran Tierney’s absence, Cedric Soares has been deputising with a string of underwhelming performances.
Do Arsenal need to sign a back-up left-back?
Yes
No
Planning has been key for the north London outfit ever since the former Manchester City coach took over in December 2019. However, January’s exploits left a lot to be desired as the transfer committee at the Emirates Stadium slipped up massively.
Whilst people may have their opinions about whether Kolasinac was good enough to play for the club, letting him leave was a huge mistake especially as Tierney got injured a short while after his departure.
It left the side short and with no viable replacements, Soares was asked to fill in to disastrous effect. The former Southampton man struggled massively in shocking performances against the likes of Adama Traore and Marcus Rashford, who enjoyed field days versus the Portugal international.
You’d hope Arteta endured a steep learning curve during the 29-year-old’s run at left-back. Having back-up in every position is a key element of a strong title-winning squad and the outfit need to invest if they’re serious about challenging.
