Why Arsenal should reignite interest in Unai Nunez
Back in October, Daily Mail claimed that Arsenal were interested in signing Athletic Bilbao defender Unai Nunez in the winter transfer window. However, a deal didn’t materialize and the Spaniard stayed put in La Liga.
Nunez, 23, is a product of Bilbao’s youth system and was promoted to the club’s senior set-up in the summer of 2017. He immediately established himself as a regular starter, making 33 La Liga appearances for the club in his debut senior season.
However, in the last two years, he has struggled for game time but his individual performances have put him on the radar of several clubs across Europe. He also helped Spain’s U21 side win the European Championship last summer and his impressive displays had also caught the eye of Premier League rivals Everton, as per the report.
Nunez could be a brilliant addition to Arsenal’s defence
One of the chief reasons for their downfall is the lack of consistency at back. Ever since Laurent Koscielny left the club, the Gunners have struggled to find a proper leader in defence. They have already conceded 41 goals so far, which is poor according to their standards.
Summer signing David Luiz has been error-prone with the games against Manchester City being his latest show of abysmal performance. Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi haven’t been consistent and Rob Holding was out of action for the majority of the 2019/20 campaign due to injury. Thus, a central defender is a must in the summer.
In that regard, signing Nunez would do them a world of good. The Spaniard has been impressive in the limited opportunities he has received so far. But his performances against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona earlier in the campaign were outstanding. Both the Madrid clubs were held to a draw against Bilbao and Barcelona lost a game against them when Nunez started at the back.
The one-cap Spanish international would be a solid addition to Arteta’s squad. He would definitely bring energy and speed at the back as he is just 23.
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Verdict
At 23, he has a huge future ahead of him and under the guidance of Arteta, he could establish himself in the heart of Arsenal’s defence. And it is clear that the Gunners are in dire need of centre-backs to tighten their backline. Thus, they should revive their interest in Nunez this summer and attempt a move for him.
