What are Arsenal’s options at Right-back?

Bellerin, 26, could be entering his final days as an Arsenal player. 

What are Arsenal’s options at Right-back?

By Jonny Bray
Hector Bellerin divides opinion at The Emirates. 
There was a time when he was spoken about in the same breath as top-quality right-backs such as Cesar Azpilicueta, but that time passed years ago. 
Now it’s becoming clear that Bellerin won’t be fulfilling the immense potential he showed as a youngster and even clearer that Arsenal need to sell him soon if they are to get the biggest fee possible for him. 
Inter Milan are supposedly interested in signing Bellerin having sold star right back Achraf Hakimi to PSG for over £50 million. 
With funds like that burning a hole in the Italian side’s pocket, this could be Arsenal’s best chance to demand a large transfer fee for the Spaniard. 
The 26-year-old made his debut for the club in 2013 after starting his career in Barcelona’s youth team and has come a long way both as a player and a person since then. 
However, since the departure of Arsene Wenger, we’ve seen his performances drop. 
But who would replace him? 
We’re living through the age of the full-back at the moment, and so there’s a plethora of top-quality players waiting to be snapped up. 

 

Max Aarons 

Max Aarons has been linked with a move to Arsenal all summer. 
Norwich aren’t afraid to sell players after they’ve just been promoted to the Premier League, as Emi Buendia’s move to Aston Villa showed us, and so it could be reasonably simple getting this deal over the line. 
It’s being reported that Arsenal will face stiff competition from Bayern Munich, but it is the case that Arsenal could provide a clearer path to the first XI than the Bundesliga giants. 
While Bellerin is unlikely to cover the full cost of Aarons’ transfer fee, selling the Spanish international would certainly fund a large portion of the move. 
Aarons made 47 appearances for Norwich last season, scoring twice, and assisting five goals. 

 

Denzel Dumfries

 

Denzel Dumfries was comfortably Netherlands’ best player at this summer’s European Championships. 
His work ethic was unrivalled, and his end product wasn’t bad either. 
Traditionally, players from Eredivisie have proven to be a bit of a mixed bag. 
For every Luis Suarez, there’s a Marco van Ginkel.
However, Dumfries is the perfect age to experience a step up in competition, and performed well in potentially tricky matches against Ukraine, Austria, and North Macedonia. 
The 25-year-old, who made 30 league appearances for PSV last season, has also been linked with Everton. 
He’d make a top signing for any Premier League side this summer. 

 

Sergio Roberto

 
Sergio Roberto would be an interesting signing for Arsenal. 
He’s certainly a player who would fit the club ethos of intelligent, attractive football.  
While he may have failed to fill the shoes of Barcelona legend Dani Alves, he’d likely be more than comfortable replacing Bellerin on the right side of the Gunners’ defence. 
Roberto has been compared to a Swiss Army knife since his promotion from Barca B in 2013.
His versatility and adaptability have seen him play in various positions in the team. 
That versatility would complement Arsenal’s squad, but his proficiency at right-back would also offer something completely different to Bellerin’s blistering speed. 
Roberto’s passing is superb, his attitude has always been applauded at Barcelona and he’s got nothing to do with the club currently being in the sorry state they’re in. 
The financial situation Barcelona currently find themselves in could be used to Arsenal’s favour, as the Gunners could sign the 29-year-old for below market value. 
Barcelona urgently needs to reduce their wage bill to re-sign Lionel Messi. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images 

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