Reports: Arsenal interested in Villarreal’s £35m Spanish defender
Arsenal are monitoring Villarreal’s Pau Torres and remained interested in securing the player’s services, according to reports. The Spanish central defender has gradually developed into one of the stalwarts of the Villarreal defense since making his debut for the La Liga side in 2017.
Manchester United were earlier thought to be the frontrunners for Torres, but it now appears that Arsenal could leapfrog them to sign the Spaniard for a fee of approximately £35m.
Torres currently has four years left on his current contract with the Yellow Submarine and made his debut for Spain last year. The 23-year-old is one of the top young center-backs in Europe and is being monitored by quite a few big clubs around the world, including Arsenal.
Manchester United were linked to the player in the summer, but a move never materialized before the end of the transfer window. While the Red Devils reconsider their decision, it appears Arsenal have become the favourites to secure the player’s signature.
Torres would be a fantastic addition to the Arsenal team
Mikel Arteta has a plethora of defenders at his disposal at Arsenal at the moment. The Gunners defense has also improved this season when compared to the previous year. The Spanish manager brought in Gabriel Magalhaes to bolster his backline, while Cedric Soares and Pablo Mari were tied down to permanent deals.
William Saliba, who spent the season on loan with parent club Saint-Etienne, has returned to Arsenal, giving Arteta a healthy selection headache at the back.
In addition, Arsenal also have David Luiz, Rob Holding, Shkodran Mustafi, Callum Chambers, and Sokratis as options in central defense, and Kieran Tierney also is comfortable playing as a center-back. However, Mustafi and Sokratis are not expected to be long term answers at the Emirates, while Luiz is, at most, a stop-gap option in defense.
As such, Arsenal’s potential move for Torres certainly makes a lot of sense. The Spaniard would also slot in seamlessly in the three-man backline Arteta has utilized in his Gunners team. Torres has all the abilities required in a modern center-back; he is fast, he is strong, and he has composure and intelligence with the ball at his feet.
Perhaps the only lingering issue with the Spaniard is that he is a left-footed defender, much like new Arsenal signing Gabriel. However, that would not be an issue in a back three, where Torres could be used as a left center-back with Gabriel in between him and a right-footed defender.
There’s no doubt that the Spaniard has all the attributes to be a Premier League success and would vastly improve the Arsenal team.