If reports are to be believed, Arsenal are still interested in signing experienced central defender Jerome Boateng from Bayern Munich. The German international has not been a regular starter for the German club this season, and with his contract expiring in 2021, the Bavarians could sell him in the summer.
As per Transfer Market Web, the German is getting close to leaving the club, with Arsenal along with the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, and the Gunners’ north London rivals Tottenham, interested in signing him. The 31-year-old has played over 300 times for Bayern Munich, winning numerous trophies in his 9 seasons with the club.
He joined the German club from Manchester City in 2011 and has been an integral part of the side since then. Jerome Boateng has made 76 appearances for the German national team but hasn’t been called up for international duty since 2018.
Jerome Boateng: Good fit under Mikel Arteta?
Arsenal need to strengthen their defence in the summer if they intend to stand any chance of competing for the top 4 in 2020. The Gunners need to especially strengthen their central defence as the current defenders they have are not good enough and have made far too many mistakes.
The north London club need a leader who can command and take charge of the backline, and help the Gunners become hard to beat. Jerome Boateng’s form has dipped considerably over the last two seasons, and he is nowhere near the player he was five years ago, but he would still be an upgrade over the central defenders the Gunners have at the moment.
Jerome Boateng is a leader at the back, a very good passer, and reads the game well. Pairing him with a younger defender could work for the Gunners, as the likes of Sokratis, David Luiz, or Shkodran Mustafi simply aren’t good enough.
The trio needs to be let go by Arteta in the summer, and they should instead use a younger player like Pablo Mari, whom Arsenal have an option to sign permanently in the summer, while the highly-rated William Saliba could perhaps be groomed for the role while they further have young options in Rob Holding and Calum Chambers who could all glean valuable information off a figure like the experienced German in such a crucial stage in their career.
Boateng wouldn’t cost much and his vast experience would be invaluable for the Gunners and could be the foundation on which Arteta builds his new team. He is unlikely to burn a hole in the Arsenal coffers and the expected offloading of a number of players is likely to comfortably cover costs if the Gunners decide to go down this route.