Summary Arsenal may pursue the signing of defender Edmond Tapsoba, but only if one thing happnes first. Tapsoba has been an impressive player for Bayer Leverkusen, with strong performances in the Bundesliga and a reputation for driving the ball forward. He is seen as a potential replacement for a current first-team star.
Arsenal may choose to reignite their interest in signing Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba this summer on one major condition, a new report has now revealed.
What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?
Prior to his side's 2-1 victory against Nottingham Forest at the weekend, Mikel Arteta was not planning to make any more signings this summer, but the manager may now be forced to re-enter the market for a new defender.
Sporting director Edu is open to signing Joao Cancelo, although that may be a difficult deal to orchestrate, as the Manchester City full-back has already agreed personal terms with Barcelona, and the Citizens may not be willing to negotiate with a rival.
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Leicester City's Timothy Castagne and Southampton's Kyle Walker-Peters are also named as potential options, although The Athletic's James McNicholas has suggested Arteta may be better off giving one of his current right-back's a chance, saying:
“At right-back, we’ve got [Takehiro] Tomiyasu, we’ve got Ben White.
“Beyond that, we do still have Cedric Soares and we’ve got Reuell Walters in the squad. No talk about a loan move for him so he could be an emergency candidate if required. Very highly-rated, lots of ability, could this be the opening that gives him a chance to impress potentially in the cup competitions?”
Not only will Arteta have to start thinking about how to replace Timber, but the manager may also be tasked with bringing in a new centre-back, with The Daily Express reporting that Gabriel Magalhaes is being lined up for a big-money move to Saudi Arabia.
Arsenal have no plans to sell the centre-back, despite him being left out of the squad that took out on Forest, but if he does move on, then Arteta has a couple of targets in mind.
Tapsoba and Marc Guehi are likely to feature near the top of any defensive shortlist, should Gabriel leave in the next two weeks, with the former being named as a target for the Gunners way back in May.
How good is Edmond Tapsoba?
The 24-year-old has been a key player for Leverkusen over the past few seasons, with some of his best performances coming in the 2020-21 campaign, averaging a Sofascore match rating of 7.17 in the Bundesliga, the second-highest in the squad.
It is fair to say the Burkina Faso international did not let his new club down after joining from Vitoria Guimaraes, with former Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller praising him for his "really big potential" and calling him "dangerous in front of goal" upon his arrival.
The £37k-per-week centre-back is always looking to drive the ball forward, ranking in the 95th percentile for progressive carries, and the 93rd for successful take-ons compared to his positional peers, but the hope will be that he is not a necessary signing.
Arsenal will not want Gabriel to leave this summer, considering he was a key member of the team last season, appearing in every single Premier League game, however Tapsoba could be a good replacement if the Brazilian is tempted by a move to Saudi Arabia.