Squillaci would fight it out with Koscielny and Djourou to be first choice
341 comments August 19th, 2010
Everyone knows Arsenal need a new centre-back. With Campbell, Gallas and Silvestre having departed this summer, it’s essential we recruit a defender with some experience. Last night, we moved closer to finding out who that might be, when French TV station Canal+ Sport reported that France international Sebastien Squillaci is “very very close” to joining Arsenal. The reports were then lent substance by Squillaci’s absence from Sevilla’s team to face Braga in their Champions League qualifier. This morning, a statement has emerged from Sevilla, confirming negotiations are taking place:
“Sébastien Squillaci’s future is in the air. As was confirmed by sporting director Ramón RodrÃguez at the airport in Porto, the club have received an offer from Arsenal. The player asked coaches not to play him in the match.”
The deal is far from done – our offer is currently described as “insufficient” – but with Sevilla willing to leave the player out of a vital qualifier, one suspects an agreement can’t be far away.
Squillaci is thirty years old, and stands at 6’1″. He’s French, and has a history of injury problems. It sounds like a done deal.
In seriousness, here is a defender with twenty France caps. A guy who has won two French titles, a Copa del Rey, and been a Champions League finallist. It’s an impressive CV, and he’d certainly enhance the squad.
He doesn’t, however, have the credentials to come in and become an automatic first-choice: he has no experience of the Premier League, for one thing. If he does arrive, he’ll be competing with Koscielny and Djourou to be first choice alongside Vermaelen.
That could be no bad thing. A bit of genuine competition might bring the best out of our crop of centre-halves. We urgently need a centre-back: if Arsene thinks Squillaci is the man, I’m prepared to back him.
The move will be in part funded by a couple of departures: Jay Simpson is on the verge of signing for Hull (may God forgive his soul), whilst Armand Traore looks set to join Benfica. Simpson has been on his way out of the club for some time, and will cost The Tigers around £1m. Traore, meanwhile, will fetch a none-too-shabby £3.2m, and leaves in search of first team football having fallen behind Gael Clichy and Kieran Gibbs in the pecking order. Good luck to the pair of them.
