Mikel Arteta's ruthlessness is assisting Arsenal in replacing a weak link.
Arsenal may have missed out on Lisandro Martinez, but they have moved quickly to implement Plan B: sign Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Gunners competed against Manchester United for Martinez. They made two bids totaling £38 million before withdrawing when United upped the ante. United are now set to pay £46 million for the Ajax defender.
That news will undoubtedly come as a shock to Arsenal, who saw Martinez as a player with some promise - a left-footed, versatile, and cultured defender with a high ceiling. But, if that's the case, they didn't say anything; instead, sporting director Edu and manager Mikel Arteta simply flipped a switch to activate a different plan.
Arsenal are in talks with Manchester City about signing Zinchenko, who has long been linked with a move to north London. City is said to be eager to do business as long as their asking price is met, and Zinchenko, like Gabriel Jesus, is eager to be reunited with Arteta.
Zinchenko's versatility, like Martinez's, allows him to play in central defense, left back, and central midfield. Pep Guardiola has primarily used the Ukraine international at left back, but he also plays center midfield for his country and can operate further forward on the left flank. In short, he appears to be an excellent addition to Arsenal.
The context at the club, however, is what makes the pursuit so appealing. Arsenal already has two left-backs in their squad, Kierney and Nuno Tavares, as well as two others who can fill in if necessary, Cedric Soares and Takehiro Tomiyasu. So, in theory, they are well-stocked. On paper, that is. In practice, however, things are a little different.
When he's healthy, Tierney is the undisputed number one in the position. The problem is, that hasn't always been the case since his £25 million move from Celtic three years ago. Tierney has missed 48 games due to five different injuries over the last three seasons, according to Transfermarkt.
Tierney lasted only 30 minutes of last week's 5-3 friendly win over Nurnberg, his first match since knee surgery, raising fears that the problem would persist into the 2022/23 season.
Arteta attempted to allay such fears. "He's really good," he said after the match. "He's been working hard in the gym. We wanted to give him a proper warm-up, play the first half hour, and then get him out because he'd been out for over three months. So he was in good shape and there were no problems."
Tierney's fitness is an issue, injured or not, and despite Arteta's protests, and the signing of Tavares from Benfica for £6.8 million last summer hasn't helped.
That's where Zinchenko comes in, as does Arteta's ruthless nature. According to Fabrizio Romano, Arteta is considering Sergio Gomez of Anderlecht as well as Zinchenko - and the new arrival could force Tavares to leave, with Marseille among those interested in signing him.
Last season, Tavares often appeared to be at sea. He is not the dependable backup that Arsenal hoped for when they signed him last summer. That's fine, but at least the Gunners aren't sticking by him despite mounting evidence.
Arteta has frequently stated his belief in the need for reinforcements during the transfer window, and recent history suggests that the owners are willing to provide him with the funds to do so. That was not always the case. Replacing a weak link with a proven Premier League performer like Zinchenko demonstrates that Arsenal has learned from their mistakes and is serious about the upcoming season.
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