Arsenal have been linked with a move for young centre-back Marash Kumbulla, who currently plays for Hellas Verona. The 20-year-old Albanian international has impressed for the club in the 2019-20 season.
As per FCInter News, the Gunners are one of many clubs in the hunt for the youngster, as the likes of Inter Milan, RB Leipzig, Everton and Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham, are also interested in Marash Kumbulla. The report states that the defender reportedly rejected a move to Napoli recently, who had offered €20 million for him.
Kumbulla has played 19 times for Hellas Verona in his breakthrough season with the club. His current deal with the Italian club expires in 2022.
Marash Kumbulla: What will he add to the team?
Marash Kumbulla has been impressive in his very first full season in the Serie A, showing great determination and strength at the back. The Italian-born Albanian international is very good in the air, averaging 2.7 aerial wins per game in the Italian league. He is a solid defender who likes to press and win the ball back, with his clever tackling. He averages 1.8 tackles per game, while also making 1.5 interceptions on an average.
The 20-year-old has shown great delight in defending at the back, throwing his body on the line and being aggressive with his pressing. Kumbulla, who has also played as a defensive midfielder, has impressed in Hellas Verona’s three-man defence, where he has got the licence to push up and the win the ball back for his side.
He is the kind of defender that Arsenal need, one who is mobile, has energy and aggression in the tackle, and is a defender first and foremost. Arsenal have had a lot of issues at the back over the last few seasons, and the current Arsenal defence is slow, old, weak and error-prone. The likes of David Luiz and Sokratis don’t have a long-term future at the club, while Shkodran Mustafi seems to make more mistakes than successful tackles.
Manager Mikel Arteta should invest cleverly to buy defenders with potential and those that he can build the crux of the team around. Kumbulla, who turned 20 a few months ago, has the right ingredients to provide stability, grit and aggression at the back and along with the likes of William Saliba and Rob Holding, form a strong core in the Arsenal side which is expected to go through a gradual transition in the next couple of transfer windows.
