Could Vestergaard be the ideal successor to Mertesacker at Arsenal?
.jpg "Could Vestergaard be the ideal successor to Mertesacker at Arsenal?")
As Arsenal shipped four goals at Nottingham Forest at the weekend, albeit with a second string defence, their problems in terms of strength in depth at the back were once again magnified.
The elder statesman in the Gunners’ reshuffled rearguard was Per Mertesacker, but with the 33-year-old moving into a coaching role at the club’s academy at the end of the season, interest in reinforcements should come as no surprise.
Wenger would have hoped the likes of Rob Holding and Calum Chambers would be ready to make the step up, but neither have covered themselves in glory when called upon this season. Instead it has been reported that Jannik Vestergaard has been earmarked as a potential successor to the veteran German, arriving from the Bundesliga as Mertesacker did six years ago.
The Gladbach defender certainly has the height to replace the Arsenal man’s ability in the air at both ends, showcased at the City Ground on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Dane has won 3.6 aerial duels per game, which is something only Mertesacker can better (4.4) in the current Arsenal squad, while he has also weighed in with three headed goals in 17 appearances this season.
.jpg "Could Vestergaard be the ideal successor to Mertesacker at Arsenal?")
Moreover, Vestergaard ranks among the top ten players in the Bundesliga in terms of clearances per game (4.8) and as high as second for shots blocked, with 20 in total.
With a decent pass accuracy of 85.5% and a good range to his distribution from the back too - only Hoffenheim’s Kevin Vogt and Bayern’s Mats Hummels have averaged more accurate long balls of outfielders in Germany’s top-flight (6.1) - Arsenal are unsurprisingly not the only club to have taken a shine to the Denmark international.
He’ll be vying for a starting spot at the World Cup in the summer with the likes of Andreas Christensen, and while Gladbach have taken up a strong stance that the player is not for sale, Vestergaard could yet follow the Chelsea man to the Premier League before then.
.jpg "Could Vestergaard be the ideal successor to Mertesacker at Arsenal?")
This suggestion completely fails to take into account the facts that: - Vestergaard physical profile and strengths make him better suited to a team that employs a deep defensive block - the majority of Arsenal's defenders (bar Mertesaker and Holding) are front foot, agressive defenders who are much more suited to playing in a system which employs a high defensive line than a deep defensive block - Wenger's preference is for Arsenal to squeeze the game into the opposition's half (i.e. play a high defensive line). If Wenger was to bring Vestergaard in as Mertesakers replacement and continue to play a high defensive line, the Dane will experience the same problem that the Per and Holding are at the moment. That is, playing in a defensive system which accentuates their weaknesses (i.e. a lack of mobility) and eliminates their strengths (i.e. aerial duels and block shots). A player like Veltman of Ajax, Perrin of Saint Etienne or even Tom Clarke of Preston would be better suited.