Arsenal need some quality signings in the summer to close the gap on the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, with central defence being one of the key areas.
Club captain Laurent Koscielny will turn 34 this year, and injuries in the season have resulted in him not being at his best and not available for the entire season. Rob Holding’s injury early in the season meant that he wasn’t involved in the majority of matches for the club.
Summer signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos has been inconsistent, while German defender Shkodran Mustafi has still not proven his worth at the club.
As a result, Arsenal have been linked with a move for Argentine centre-back Walter Kannemann according to Calciomercato.it. The defender is an unknown quantity outside South America, and only recently got his senior cap for Argentina.
The 28-year-old central defender plays for Grêmio in the Brazilian league, and Arsenal are said to have placed a bid of around £11.5 million, while his release clause is at £17 million.
Here’s a SWOT analysis of the player.
Strengths
The left-footed player’s key strength is his hard tackling. The Argentine likes to close down opposition attackers and put his foot in to dispose them of the ball, and his quick acceleration helps him reach and close down attackers quickly.
Once again, his pace in the first few yards helps in intercepting through balls, and passes over the top. Kannemann also, occasionally, drives up the field quickly with the ball at his feet to link with attackers.
Weaknesses
His major weakness is his passing. Kannemann will have to improve this aspect of his game to suit Arsenal’s style of play.
Considering Emery is trying to focus on a passing-oriented approach that begins from the back, Kannemann will have to quickly adjust to the style and bring out his A-game.
Opportunities
The Argentine centre-back will be available at a cheap price at around the £15 million mark.
Considering not many of the current crop of defenders impressed at Arsenal, and Holding was injured for a large part of the season, Kannemann will have a pretty good chance to integrate himself into the lineup should he have a full pre-season with the team.
Threats
The biggest issue with this deal is that Kannemann has never played outside South America.
The pace of the Premier League could catch him out, while his pressing and tackling style of play could leave to huge gaps in defence.
