Why Arsenal shouldn't sign Leverkusen's Diaby
Cameron Smith
- 5 May 2022 09:25 CDT
- 4 min read
Arsenal have been linked with a move for Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby following his electric 2021/22 campaign, but the North London side should be wary of making a move.
The Frenchman has impressed on German soil since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 and has taken another leap forward this year. The forward has netted 16 goals and recorded 13 assists in all competitions in just 40 appearances.
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This form has caught the eye of several top European clubs who would be interested in raiding Leverkusen for one of their prized assets. SportBild have reported that Arsenal have 'concrete interest' in signing Diaby this summer as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his attacking options.
The report also specifies that Leverkusen would demand a fee of at least €75 million to be tempted into selling Diaby during the upcoming transfer window. At the age of 22 with three years left on his contract at the club it's no surprise Leverkusen are holding out for a similar fee to what they received for Kai Havertz from Chelsea in 2020.
However, Arsenal should take his form this year with a huge pinch of salt and avoid signing the forward this summer for a number of reasons.
Focus on a striker
One key reason why the Gunners should take caution with Diaby has nothing to do with the player and is simply due to their lack of options through the middle for next season.
Both Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette haven't renewed their deals leaving the club with no senior strikers ahead of the new season at this stage. With that in mind, at least two number nine's need to be signed this summer before focusing on any other position group.
Despite Diaby's goal-scoring numbers, he's not a striker and so he wouldn't solve their crisis in that regard. The likes of Jonathan David, Darwin Nunez and Tammy Abraham, all of whom have been linked, would demand a large sum of money and with Arsenal spending the most cash of any Premier League team last summer, they may not have huge funds this time around.
So, it may be a case of the luxury of Diaby or the necessary signing of a striker and Arsenal must choose the latter.
Be wary of the Bundesliga
The German top flight is an excellent league with exciting, young talents but it's track record of attacking players translating their from into the Premier League isn't great.
The aforementioned Havertz, Timo Werner and Jadon Sancho have all arrived for big fees over the past two years and all three haven't hit the heights of their Bundesliga days yet.
Diaby could be an exception, but it's worth considering how the Frenchman's pace is helped by the style of play in the German top flight.
Options are already plentiful in his position
Not only is Diaby a potentially risky signing, but Arsenal already have talent in his position Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli are three highly talented players and adding Diaby into the mix could disrupt the harmony amongst the squad with minutes reduced for the trio.
Nicolas Pepe could be on his way out which would open the door for another attacker, but Reiss Nelson could return from his loan at Feyenoord and fill the role of back-up like Pepe has done this year.
Too expensive
Perhaps the most pressing issue is Leverkusen's asking price. €75m is a lot of money, as Arsenal found out when they signed Pepe from Lille, and for someone coming out of the Bundesliga it's a concern.
Furthermore, while 16 goals and 14 assists in the league and Europa League is an outstanding tally for Diaby, xG and xA suggests he's been fortunate to amass that tally. According to the metric, Diaby should have closer to 10 goals and 11 assists; still a good number but not quite as impressive.
With other areas of the squad to address, Arsenal may not have huge funds to spend on a luxury player like Diaby, especially when central midfield is also an area of concern.
Arteta may have to decide whether to add Diaby or a midfielder and given Thomas Partey's injury issues the sensible choice would be to leave the Frenchman and prioritise a more in-demand problem.
