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According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal have enquired over the possibility of signing Southampton left-back Matt Targett this summer.
What’s the word?
The report claims Unai Emery’s side have tested the waters over potentially signing the 23-year-old and the Gunners’ reported limited budget could play a major part in their pursuit of the defender.
Ryan Bertrand predominantly kept Targett out of the starting line-up at St Mary’s last season and he ended up making just 21 appearances across all competitions.
Valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, the left-back could offer a cheaper but reliable option for Emery next season, particularly with all the question marks surrounding Sead Kolasinac’s defensive contributions.
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The chance to go back to basics
Formations like the 4-2-3-1 and the 4-3-3 have long been a staple of Emery sides throughout his managerial career, but having arrived at the Emirates last summer the Spaniard quickly realised that wasn’t the best option for the side.
Hector Bellerin’s knee injury rid the Gunners of one of the Premier League’s best right-backs whilst on the other side Kolasinac looked worryingly uncertain about his responsibilities going back towards his own goal. The combination of injuries and lack of the right personnel all meant Emery was pretty much forced to use a back-five; a formation incredibly new to the manager.
But Targett’s potential arrival could be a major factor in allowing the Gunners boss to go back to his fundamentals. The Saints defender averaged 1.7 tackles and interceptions per game last season, considerably more than the 1.3 and 0.9 Kolasinac managed respectively.
Indeed, whilst the Bosnian outshone his English counterpart going forward his liabilities in defence saw him pick up seven yellow cards and commit almost a foul every game, and his desire to burst forward constantly make him a major risk in a back four.
Bringing in Targett would give Emery the confidence to revert back to his tried-and-trusted formation and would subsequently allow him to get another midfielder or attacker into the side.
So whilst he may not be a fancy name or even a big-money signing, Southampton’s second-choice left-back could be exactly the man Arsenal and their manager needs.