Mikel Arteta has gone on record to say that Arsenal is looking for defensive reinforcements in the January window. Calum Chambers’ ACL injury has now made this a more pressing matter, with the Gunners down to only four first-team centre-backs. Even with a fully fit defence, it’s still an area for improvement for the Gunners.
Sky Germany is reporting that Arsenal is interested in signing Bayern Munich defender, Jerome Boateng. The 31-year-old is looking to leave Munich and would be allowed to go for as little as £12.8million. If Arsenal signs him, they’ll be recruiting one of the game’s most notorious defenders.
Here’s what Jerome Boateng brings to Arsenal.
Leadership
One thing Arsenal have always been accused of not having is leaders. Often, we see the Gunners with technical and skillful players in the team, but no rugged or physically dominant players around them.
Jerome Boateng would help Arsenal negate that trend and steer them in the right direction. As we’ve seen with the emergence of David Luiz in recent weeks, having a strong mentality can push you over the edge. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t have that mentality to dig deep when times are tough, it’s irrelevant.
Mikel Arteta has instilled a mentality of belief in the squad, he just needs as many players as possible to buy into that philosophy. The addition of Jerome Boateng would help Arteta translate that message onto the pitch with several on the pitch leaders. Arsenal needs leaders and Boateng is one of the best in world football at being one.
Squad Depth
With Calum Chambers now officially out for the season, Arsenal is in serious need of defensive cover. It’s said that every team needs at least 2/3 competent players for each position. With such depth, it’s possible to rotate the team regularly in times of fixture congestion. Defence is one department that Arsenal has always needed to improve and bringing in a world cup winner certainly strengthens the team.
Even if Boateng is coming to Emirates to stay on the bench, it gives Arteta a reliable option to rely on. January is not usually the month to make big signings, so Boateng could be a good stop-gap until William Saliba comes of age or the club meet the price tag of Dayot Upamecano.
Experience
At 31 years of age, Jerome Boateng has seen it all at the top level. Across his illustrious career, the German has won 18 domestic trophies, the UEFA Champions League and the World Cup. From an experience point of view, what else would you want? The 31-year-old has won those trophies with three different teams on various platforms. On a club level, Boateng has played over 300 games and has 76 caps for Germany.
One thing you cannot underestimate is experience. Experience is what allows players to prolong their careers when their physical attributes start to wear out. Jerome Boateng has international experience that will stupendously improve the mentality of this Arsenal squad.
Welcome jerome boeteng to arsenal we like you,we need you at emirates. You are such a star we need most.