William Saliba’s back injury, picked up during France’s World Cup campaign this summer, has left Mikel Arteta with a genuine headache going into the title defence.
No surgery is required, but “extended period” is the kind of vague phrase that makes fans nervous and with Coventry visiting the Emirates on August 21, Arsenal can’t afford to be short at the back.
Here are three names doing the rounds, and which option could be the best one for the defending Premier League champions.
1. Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa)
Konsa is the name most consistently linked, and it’s easy to see why. He’s 28, English, Premier League-proven, and was a regular for England at this summer’s World Cup.
He rarely gets injured, reads the game well, and can double up at right-back if needed, exactly the kind of low-risk, high-floor signing you make when you need cover in a hurry rather than a project.
Arsenal have reportedly already had a bid knocked back, with Villa holding out for something closer to their £60m valuation. The sticking point isn’t quality, it’s price and Villa’s reluctance to strengthen a rival.
2. Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)
This one is the mischief-maker’s dream. Reports suggest Romero is open to crossing north London, partly, apparently, because of his relationship with Arsenal coach Gabriel Heinze but Tottenham have been unambiguous that they will not sell to their fiercest rivals, whatever the player wants.
Fabrizio Romano has all but closed the door on it from Spurs’ side.
Romero is combative, aggressive, and would improve Arsenal’s spine on paper, but between the boardroom veto and Atlético Madrid reportedly leading the race for him, this is more transfer gossip than genuine business.
3. Jacobo Ramón (Como)
The romantic option. Just 21, a Real Madrid academy graduate who impressed with 32 Serie A appearances for Cesc Fàbregas’ Como last season, Ramón is comfortable in possession and strong in the air, the type of ball-playing defender…
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