Arsenal open the door for Andersen to join Spurs – is this a mistake?
Arsenal’s unwillingness to match the asking price for Sampdoria defender Joachim Andersen has opened the door to a potential move to Tottenham, but are the Gunners making a mistake?
According to reports in Italy, as cited on the Daily Star, Mauricio Pochettino’s men have now moved into pole position to sign the defender.
This could be a huge mistake from Unai Emery if the Gunners are unable to strengthen at the back this summer.
It is clearly a position that Arsenal want to strengthen, exemplified by the recent links to Presnel Kimpembe, Djene Dakonam and Samuel Umtiti.
There is a case to made that Andersen is one of the more realistic targets that the Gunners could target with no Champions League football on offer, while losing out on a player to rivals Spurs will not help with any bragging rights either.
Andersen is certainly an improvement on the likes of Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi, but Emery may feel he can get more for his money elsewhere.
It’s a risky strategy from the Spaniard, who simply has to strengthen at the back this summer. Only time will tell if it’s a move that pays off.