According to reports, Arsenal are now eyeing a move for Serie A centre-half Kalidou Koulibaly as the North London side prepares for life after Per Mertesacker. The towering former German international has decided to take up a coaching role at the club following his retirement next season, and Arsenal would need someone to fill in the large void his departure would create.
The 26-year-old Senegal international has been one of the hot targets for Premier League side Chelsea for the past few seasons, but nothing could materialise whatsoever. Now with the Blues getting in Rudiger from AS Roma, chances of him moving to London is all but dead. Arsenal could take the chance to snap him up, though Napoli is quite unwilling to let him go.
The Italian club extended his contract last season itself, which keeps him till 2021, indicating to Arsenal that a move for him would be difficult to fulfil. However, Wenger faces his own predicament in the backline which has most players stepping on the wrong side of 30. Team skipper Laurent Koscielny will turn 32 soon while the other option of Arsenal’s three-man defence, Nacho Monreal, is 31.
Of course, the process to that transition started last season when Arsenal brought in 25-year-old Shkodran Mustafi and 24-year-old Sead Kolasinac this summer. The emergence of 21-year-old Rob Holding has given a further boost to the squad too, but Arsenal would one more to keep the balance given Gabriel Paulista’s inconsistency at the back.
Despite ending the season strongly against Everton which even led to him getting injured in the process, the Brazilian international has been quite shaky at Arsenal’s defence. And Koulibaly’s addition would all but complete it for the Gunners. The African centre-half has been one of the consistent defenders in the Serie A for the past three seasons.
The 195cm centre-half is extremely strong in the air, making him a suitable option in the Premier League for any side. He is also known for his phenomenal passing abilities from the deep field and strong tackles. His ability to read the game intelligently and time his tackles to perfection blends extremely well with his huge frame and could give Arsenal the much-needed base that they have missed since the Sol Campbell days.
An academy product of Ligue 1 side FC Metz, Koulibaly moved to Belgian side KRC Genk back in 2012. He flourished there catching the eyes of Napoli. Since then, he has played over 100 games for the side establishing as a top player for them.
