Why Arsenal should go all out to sign Mario Hermoso in the summer?
Mario Hermoso has enjoyed a fantastic season with Espanyol that saw him being rewarded with a call up to the Spain squad by Luis Enrique last November. His performances have been so impressive that Real Madrid looked interested in re-signing him in January, although nothing materialised.
It hasn’t been plain sailing for the Spaniard this season, though. Mario Hermoso missed more than a month’s action with a ligament injury that disrupted Espanyol’s harmony at the back. Now back to full fitness and currently dishing out solid performances once again, the 23-year-old is certain to be in demand when the transfer window re-opens.
Keeping his performances in check, Arsenal should make a move for Mario Hermoso in the summer to solve their defensive conundrum.
After the recent doom and gloom around the club, what with recent performances that have left the fans feeling discontented, last weekend’s 1-1 draw with rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby should give the Arsenal supporters some confidence of finishing the season on a high. The defensive performance against Tottenham was perhaps as good as any this campaign, but it was also undermined by the lapse of concentration and a silly mistake by none other than Shkodran Mustafi.
Handed a role at right-back on Saturday, Mustafi did well for large parts of the game but ended up being a culprit after he foolishly barged over Harry Kane to concede the penalty, although the Tottenham striker was offside.
Defensive problems have held the Gunners back for the last few years and if Unai Emery wants to challenge for the title next season, he’ll have to bolster his options at the back. With Laurent Koscielny in his twilight, Mustafi highly unreliable and Sokratis Papastathopoulos set to turn 31 in June, a new defender is the need of an hour.
Due to his qualities and playing style, Hermoso would be a perfect fit for Emery’s system at Arsenal. Blessed with a sound technique and decent turn of pace, the Spaniard a young, promising centre-half who is adept at bringing the ball out from the back. He never hesitates to move forward with the ball before switching the play with a diagonal long cross.
The one-cap Spanish international is incredibly strong in the air, and possesses impressive communication and leadership skills. The 23-year-old isn’t the quickest along the ground, but he is a wonderful reader of the game – something that more than makes up for his lack of pace. Hermoso can initiate attacks from the back and stay composed in tricky situations—a quality Emery expects to have in his centre-backs.
With uncountable lapses in defence this season in addition to season-ending injuries to Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin, buying a defender in the summer looks to be a necessity for the Gunners and Hermoso looks to be most complete young centre-back Emery could sign.
