Arsenal favorites to sign Bundesliga defender Edmond Tapsoba in the summer - Reports
Arsenal are expected to have a busy summer ahead of them and have already turned their attention to signing a Bundesliga superstar.
According to Sport Witness via Gianluigi Longari of SportItalia, the Gunners are interested in bringing Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba to North London. The Burkinabe defender has been stellar for his club this season and has reportedly caught the eye of Arsenal's scouts.
Tapsoba joined Leverkusen in January of 2020 for a transfer fee of £16.2m and quickly established himself as one of the stars of the Bundesliga side. The player is blessed with speed, strength and is good with the ball at his feet.
The 22-year-old has rarely put a foot wrong in his 39 appearances for Leverkusen in all competitions this season. It is no wonder that Arsenal are tracking him, and according to reports, the Gunners are currently leading the race to secure the player's signature.
Arsenal have endured a difficult season, finishing eighth in the Premier League. The Gunners will also not be playing in Europe next season, which will a huge blow to them financially.
The club are expected to reinforce their squad and one area Mikel Arteta is eager to improve is the team's backline. With David Luiz set to leave the club, the Spaniard wants a new central defender ahead of the upcoming season.
It remains to be seen whether Arteta will incorporate William Saliba into his squad next season. However, if he wants Tapsoba at the Emirates, he might have to break the bank to sign the player.
The Leverkusen defender is already being tracked by teams around Europe and will command an astronomical fee in the transfer market. It is unclear whether Arsenal have the finances to fund the deal at the moment.
Arsenal have struggled under Mikel Arteta
Arsenal have struggled for form under Arteta. The Spaniard guided the Gunners to an FA Cup title after taking charge in December of 2019. He followed it up by winning the Community Shield in 2020.
Arteta, however, has failed to build on those performances. The Gunners have finished eighth in the league in both of his seasons in charge of the team.
The Spaniard has a 52.33% win record with Arsenal so far, winning 45 of his 86 games in charge. The Gunners managed 18 wins in the 2020-21 season while losing 13 games. Only Leeds United lost more games than Arsenal among the teams in the top half of the table.