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Arsenal have Eintracht defender Willian Pacho in summer shortlist

Arsenal are interested in signing Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Willian Pacho at the end of the season, according to Florian Plettenberg.

The Gunners currently have the best defence in the Premier League. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have been brilliant at the heart of the backline.

The club also have a quality deputy in Jakub Kiwior in the ranks. Jurrien Timber is also anticipated to play a part following his return from a knee injury.

Despite this, the London giants continue to be linked with centre-backs and Pacho has now emerged as a potential transfer candidate for the summer.

Bild initially reported the interest in January and Plettenberg has reiterated the same by confirming that the player is on the shortlist of the Gunners.

However, the 22-year-old is unlikely to come on the cheap with Eintracht expected to demand €60m to part ways with the talented Ecuador international.

Arsenal unlikely to sign new centre-back this summer

Manager Mikel Arteta will want to strengthen the squad further ahead of the 2024/25 season, but we would be surprised if the club invest on another centre-back.

Saliba and Gabriel are nailed-on starters in central defence at the moment. Kiwior has barely played in the position and has been operating from left-back in recent weeks.

Aside from Kiwior, Timber, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White can all operate in central defence if required. Declan Rice has also played there during his West Ham days.

Hence, we don’t see the prospect of Arsenal investing on Pacho. The youngster is a left-footed defender who has caught the eye with his distribution and defensive attributes.

He has won 58 per cent of his duels and 2.1 tackles per league game this term. Pacho has also made 4.6 clearances with an impressive 7.2 ball recoveries per appearance.

His distribution, however, remains a weak point with an accuracy of only 84 per cent. He has lost possession on 12.1 occasions per outing which is definitely high.

If Arsenal are seriously looking at another centre-back, they should focus on Sporting’s Ousmane Diomande.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com

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