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Why Arsenal Must Go All Out To Beat Everton and Chelsea To This €40million Signing

Arsenal have previously been linked with a move for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, although the press are now suggesting that Chelsea and Everton are preparing official bids.

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Arsenal are looking for a tall, ball playing defender to replace Per Mertesacker, if the press are to be believed. Few are more appropriate than the Napoli centre-half. Despite standing at 6ft 5in, Koulibaly is very comfortable on the ball and averaged an impressive 63 forward passes per 90 minutes last season, substantially more than both Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny who averaged just 42. Over at Fresh Football we brought you reports of Arsenal’s interest earlier in the summer – but there hasn’t been much on the move since.

Koulibaly joined Napoli for £5.25million from Genk in 2014 and although he struggled for consistency in his first campaign, he really rose to prominence last season leading to many pundits labelling him the best defender in the Italian division: a big claim for a league that is home to the likes of Chiellini and Bonucci.

Kouliably brings the rare combination of a central defender with pace, height and technical ability – something that is wanted by many clubs but rarely found. That is why he is worth the money. Alongside Koscielny Arsenal could easily create the strongest defensive partnership in the league with this signing, it is that important.

But the 25-year-old’s form last season cannot be argued with. Koulibaly won 2.52 aerial duels and 2.15 tackles 90 minutes last season which shows the dominant force he is. With 2.56 interceptions per 90 minutes, the statistics start to back up my point of how well-rounded he is as a defender.

Arsenal are looking to rebuild the spine of the team – Koulibaly would be a top class addition to that spine. At just 24-years-old he is already proving to be one of the best central defenders in Europe.

Despite his asking price being in excess of £30million, I really think Arsenal should seriously consider beating Everton and Chelsea to this signing. He has only just turned 25 and could easily play at the highest level for 8 more seasons.

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