In order to improve his squad's possibilities for the upcoming season, Mikel Arteta has been linked with a transfer for RB Leipzig's Mohamed Simakan.
Football.london is aware that Arsenal wants to strengthen their defense during the summer transfer window.
But who is Simakan, and what might his signing mean for the Emirates Stadium? Below, we've taken a closer look.
Mohamed Simakan, who is he?
Simakan, a gifted defender who is 23 years old, was born in Marseille, France.
Simakan worked for Strasbourg of Ligue 1 from 2019 to 2021 before transferring to RB Leipzig two years ago. Since then, he has established himself as one of the most gifted young defenders in the German Bundesliga, routinely functioning as both a center-back and a right-back.
Because of his performance, a number of elite European teams have expressed interest in him. L'Equipe stated that Leipzig valued the player at roughly €40 million (£35 million) last summer; given his good form, one would expect that this valuation has increased since then.
Why is he desired by Arsenal?
Since first-choice right center-back William Saliba suffered a lower back injury two months ago, Arsenal's defensive shortcomings have been apparent. Before Saliba was replaced by Rob Holding in the starting lineup for the final six games of the season, the Gunners had only given up 25 goals in the 27 Premier League games in which he had started.
The necessity for a new defender this summer has been made clear by this, and Simakan has the appropriate kind of profile for it. If Mikel Arteta were to join the north Londoners, he would have lots of tactical versatility because, like Gunners star Ben White, he is at ease playing as both a right-sided center-half and right-back.
Over the past 24 months, Arteta has demonstrated a preference for acquiring flexible players, particularly at full-back, bringing in players like the aforementioned White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Oleksandr Zinchenko who are all more than capable of playing in a variety of different places of the field.
In order to fully utilize all of the field's zones, the Spaniard can arrange up his team in a 2-3-5 or 3-2-5 form when they have the ball.
Simakan may perform in that backline's center, on the right side of the defense, or even tuck in centrally in a more inverted position.
Why would Arsenal want him?
Simakan meets all of the requirements for a centre-back in an Arteta system, including being at ease with the ball, especially under pressure, being physically dominant, and being able to defend wide-open spaces. According to fbref, his on-the-field statistics score quite well, averaging 5.16 progressive throws and 1.92 progressive carries this season.
For context, that places him between the 92nd and 98th percentile among center backs in the top five leagues in Europe. Of course, the fact that he has frequently played as a full-back skews this data, but Arsenal's rumored interest will undoubtedly be influenced by his ability to move the ball forward consistently.
The 23-year-old's numbers for the last third are equally excellent. Transfermarkt reports that in just 2,154 minutes of activity, he has scored three goals and contributed eight more assists across all competitions, averaging one direct goal contribution per 196 minutes. These are exceptional stats for a defender.
Exactly what was said?
Simakan and fellow French defender Raphael Varane were once likened by Strasbourg's head of training Francois Keller because of their similar physical attributes, according to l'Equipe. Keller remarked, "We rapidly realized that we were dealing with a phenomena.
"He wrecked the place... We had the new Varane, I told myself. He was confident, strong, calm, and athletic.
Due to his "effortless flexibility," the official website of the Bundesliga has even compared him to football legend Lillian Thuram.
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