Arsenal's Ousmane Diomande pursuit makes NO SENSE

Cameron Smith

• 7 Apr 2024 16:00 BST
• 4 min read

Arsenal are in sublime form and they are set to back Mikel Arteta in the upcoming transfer window as they look to maintain their place at the top of the English and European game.

The Gunners spent €231.6 million last summer - the most in a single transfer window in their history - and they are preparing for another busy few months of transfer activity.

As exclusively reported by FootballTransfers, Sporting CP goal machine Viktor Gyokeres is currently their priority target ahead of the upcoming window as they look to bolster the attacking options available to Arteta.

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Kai Havertz has excelled as a centre forward in recent weeks, but the Germany international is a versatile player and is able to cover multiple positions, meaning Gyokeres’ potential arrival will not directly impact his influence at the Emirates Stadium.

In addition to Gyokeres, Arsenal are also hoping to sign his Sporting CP team-mate Ousmane Diomande, as per multiple reports.

The Ivory Coast international is being chased by Chelsea too, however reports from Portugal have suggested that Arsenal are leading the race to sign him this summer.

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Arsenal's Ousmane Diomande pursuit makes little sense

Despite their evident interest in Diomande, the Gunners simply don’t need him.

Of course, adding strength in depth is always a sensible idea and failing to sign new players is a backwards step in football terms, but there are more urgent areas that Arsenal need to address.

The primary one is a reliable goal-scoring number nine, while signing a defensive midfielder would also be a smart idea given the uncertain futures of Thomas Partey and Jorginho.

Diomande is a very talented centre-back, and Portugal has been a happy hunting ground for Premier League clubs over the past few years, which means that fears over his ability to adapt to English football are limited.

However, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are arguably the best centre-back duo in world football as things stand, with Arsenal conceding just 4.98 xG in the Premier League in 2024.

By comparison, Manchester City are second with a tally of 12.28 xG against.

As a result, Diomande wouldn’t be a starter if he joins Arsenal this summer, while Jurrien Timber will be a more than capable back-up when he returns to fitness. Of course, the Dutchman is expected to play as a left-back next year, but Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu are reliable operators and Benjamin White was a consistent performer at centre-back until the start of the 2022-23 season.

Diomande simply isn’t needed at Arsenal and there’s little proof to suggest he’s an upgrade on Arteta’s current back-up options.

A move to Chelsea makes more sense from a personnel point of view - given Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah are set to leave and the fact he could feasibly oust Axel Disasi in the pecking order - but it remains to be seen if the Blues are willing to fork out another huge fee for a talented youngster.

Joining Arsenal wouldn’t be a poor decision from Diomande, but he isn’t needed at the Emirates Stadium and the Ivorian would likely be sacrificing game time if he opts to sign for the Gunners.