Arsenal are looking to bring another centre-back to the club in the summer and have targeted Borussia Dortmund’s Neven Subotic, according to reports in ESPN.
Arsene Wenger knew he needed to strengthen his defence and brought in Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal in the summer for the same reason. Per Mertesacker is a cult figure for the Gunners but the usually reliable centre-back hasn’t been in greatest form and Arsenal would want adequate cover next season if they want to challenge for trophies and not just settle for fourth placed finishes.
Suboti was signed to the 1. FSV Mainz 05 youth team in 2006, and his impressive game got him a first-team shot with the club at the end of that season, when he was aged just 18. After doing well in his his first full season with Mainz, he attracted the interest of a lot of clubs. He came quite close to joining TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. But Mainz head coach JA?rgen Klopp got the Borussia Dortmund managerial job and ensured Suboti followed him along.
Neven Subotica s style of play is very commanding and he isn’t afraid to voice his opinion to his team mates. Arsenal’s defensive frailties have often been pinned down to the lack of communication at the back and having a vocal and commanding figure at the back might really sort things out for the team. He is a ball-playing defender, and can start attacks by linking up with the midfield and he often likes to push forward himself, but makes sure he doesn’t give up his primary duties of a defender. He is technically good has a good positioning sense, which means he doesn’t leave the backline unguarded by carelessly being caught out of position. He would also bring in a lot of experience with himself, along with expertise. He has more than 170 league appearances for Dortmund and is also a regular for the Serbian national team.
The 26 year old’s contract is due to end next summer which means that he could available on the cheap in the next transfer window. However, Dortmund would want to keep hold of the defender who has proved to be so solid in the recent past and a new contract could only be on its way. If, however, Arsenal can pull the deal off, it would be a terrific buy for the club as Subotic has been one of the best centre-backs in Europe in the last 2-3 years and could give Wenger the assurance he so desperately needs at the back.
