The inevitable has occurred, Bacary Sagna has officially stated that he is leaving the club, dashing slim hopes that Arsenal fans had regarding his future. Arsenal will now definitely need to sign a right-back and Wenger has an important decision to make; either to promote carl Jenkinson to the first-choice right-back or buy a ready made replacement for Sagna.
I wouldn’t be against the promotion of Jenkinson, but I believe he’s not quite ready yet and it’d be better to invest in a more experienced player. We have already been linked with numerous players in this position such as Juanfran, Callum Chambers, Uchida and of course Serge Aurier. Of the four Serge Aurier sounds as though he’d be the most likely signing and would fit the Wenger mould perfectly. Here is a scout report on the 21 year-old, 5″9 Ivorian International.
Firstly, like Sagna, defensively speaking Aurier is very versatile and for Toulouse this season he played at right-back, left-back, centre- back and even right-midfield. Sagna was considered Arsenal’s fourth choice centre-back and Aurier would offer similar attributes with his even more extensive range of defensive playing positions. Offensively, there isn’t really much competition, Aurier has a vastly superior technical ability and in only 25 games this season he has created 6 goals and scored four for himself ,whereas Sagna only created 2 goals and scored 1 himself in 35 appearances.
Aurier generally gets forward a lot more than Sagna and is a much bigger threat in terms of scoring and creating chances. For a relatively small player he also has a great spring and often wins aerial duels with much bigger opponents than himself. His spring in aerial battles also means he’s a presence down the other end of the field, and he has chipped in with a couple of headed goals this term. Aurier also has fantastic speed and strength and won’t lose to0 many 1 v 1 battles, and as a result he can often recover from the most sloppiest of situations.
Overall, Aurier is more of an attack-minded defender and his over-zeliouness can often lead to some sticky situations. He is often positionally caught out and has a tendency to play his opponent onside. He is also a bit petulant and picked up 9 yellow cards last year. Defensively, Aurier will need to improve drastically if he’s going to meet the standards set by the outgoing Sagna, but his attacking play is something to admire and he’ll provide a constant outlet for any Arsenal attack.
Ultimately, Aurier’s talent is visible for all to see. He’s supposedly an Arsenal fan and would be available for peanuts based on the current inflation in the world market at the moment. He is a great prospect and definitely has a bright future. Attack wise he is very strong, but defensively he is slightly susceptible. Overall I believe it would be a good addition to the squad but there is no guarantee he is ready for first-team football yet.