Arsenal linked with Edmond Tapsoba, a good deal?

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Bengaluru, July 18: Premier League giants Arsenal are reportedly weighing up a £42.5 million move to bring Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba to the Emirates. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is understood to be in the market for another centre-back to compete with Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, and William Saliba.

The Arsenal manager is believed to have set his sights on having two players in each position following the implementation of five substitutes per game. Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez was reportedly Arteta's first choice due to his ability to play as a central defender, a left-back, and even as a defensive midfielder but the Argentine looks close to signing for Manchester United instead.

Hence, the Gunners have reignited their interest in Burkina Faso international Edmond Tapsoba, a player to have been linked with a switch to the Emirates in the past as well. Tabsoba is contracted at Bayern Leverkusen until the summer of 2026 and is believed to be available at a price point between £34 million and £42.5 million.

The 23-year-old has established himself as one of the top defenders in Bundesliga over the last few years since his move from Vitória de Guimaraes in 2020. Blessed with a massive frame of 6ft 4ins, the Ouagadougou-born defender has all the physical aspects of being a top-class central defender and he is also quite solid on the ball.

Tapsoba is excellent with the ball at his feet and can spray nice passes across the pitch from the back. The 23-year-old has plenty of similarities in his game to that of Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, regarded as one of the best in the game right now.

The commanding defender averaged 2.92 progressive passes and 3.77 progressive carries per 90 minutes last season which is quite solid. The 23-year-old also averaged 2.59 interceptions, 1.82 blocks and 10.21 pressures per 90 last term.

Last season, he ranked in the 88th percentile for passes attempted and the 78th for pass completion, while he’s also in the 84th for progressive carries. Such a quality ball-playing defender would be a very solid addition to the Arsenal backline and can potentially dispossess the duo of Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes from their place in the starting XI.