Arsenal Opinion: Kenny Lala would be an excellent signing for the Gunners
According to The Sun, Arsenal and Man City are set to go head to head in a transfer tug of war over Strasbourg right-back Kenny Lala, with both the Premier League giants expressing their interest in the 27-year-old right-back.
The Sun understands that Man City manager Pep Guardiola has been monitoring Lala for quite some time and the Citizens might make a move for the flying full-back this summer should Danilo head for the exit door.
The same source claims that Gunners boss Unai Emery is planning to bring in defensive reinforcements this summer and the Spaniard has Kenny Lala on his radar, although the 27-year-old has a contract with Strasbourg which runs until the summer of 2021.
It is believed that the Ligue 1 outfit would demand a fee in the region of £13 million to part ways with their influential right-back, who has carved out a big reputation for himself as one of the best offensive-minded full-backs in the French top flight.
Lala has been one of the standout performers for Strasbourg in Ligue 1 this season, contributing with 5 goals and 9 assists from 32 appearances in the league. Truly, his wonderful performances for a bottom-half side like Strasbourg are worthy of applause and it is not difficult to see why clubs like Arsenal and Man City are courting him ahead of the summer transfer window.
Things haven’t always been so easy for Kenny Lala and he has had had to work very hard to establish himself as a top right-back in France. He began his professional career at Paris FC in the lower divisions before joining Valenciennes in Ligue 2 and subsequently helped the club secure promotion to the top-flight.
Upon Valenciennes’s relegation from the top-flight, he played for Lens in the second-tier before making a return to Ligue 1 with Strasbourg in 2017.
Blessed with lightning pace and a bagful of trickery, Lala is known for his direct style of play. He combines his pace and skills with his drive and determination to run at his opposite number, tearing the defences apart with his aggressive approach.
Lala, however, is not only about pace and skills but, as evident from the numbers, his end product is also right up there with the very best.
The 27-year-old not only has a wonderful eye for key passes in the final third but he is a very good crosser of the ball as well, making him a dangerous attacking outlet whenever he crosses the halfway line.
He often gets into the box to score goals and it would not be an overstatement to say that he is good enough to play as a winger on the right.
That’s not to say Lala is a bad defender. Quick across the ground and Strong on the tackle, the Frenchman gets back in time more often than not to cut out attacks with crucial interventions.
Lala boasts of a pass success rate of 80.4, including 1.9 key passes, 1.4 crosses, 5 successful long balls and 2.4 tackles per game in Ligue 1 this term, figures which clearly show what a wonderful player he is.
To put things into perspective, Lala is good enough to compete in the Premier League and Arsenal would bag a massive coup if they manage to beat Man City in the race to sign the Frenchman. The Gunners have often paid a heavy price for their lack of depth at right-back this season and the long-term injury to Hector Bellerin has caused Unai Emery all sorts of problems.
Stephan Lichtsteiner was signed last summer, with a view to providing much-needed cover for Bellerin, but the veteran has not lived up to the expectations.
On the other hand, Carl Jenkinson has once again reminded the fans that Arsenal cannot afford to rely on him and he continues to be a suspect defensively. Ainsley Maitland-Niles has really made eyeballs turn with his impressive performances but he is still very young and more suited to a wing-back role.
Arsenal cannot afford another burnout of options at right-back if they are to compete for silverware. Kenny Lala is certainly a good enough player to play the role of an understudy to Bellerin, while also keeping up the competition for places.
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Lala won’t cost Arsenal a fortune and the Gunners would ensure quality depth in a key area of the pitch by striking a deal for the 27-year-old.
