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Arsenal are reportedly eyeing 18 year-old centre back William Saliba, but will have to loan him back for a season in order to secure a deal.

What’s the story?

According to The Mirror, the Gunners are keen on the young defender, who enjoyed an eye-catching breakout campaign with Saint-Etienne.

The north Londoners have been keeping tabs on the teenager, per the report, but may be put off by the £25m price tag.

What’s more though, is the French outfit want to loan the defender back for a season after selling him, meaning he would join Arsenal in the summer of 2020, which The Mirror claim could scupper the deal with the Gunners in need of immediate defensive help.

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Short-sighted

Saliba is an excellent young player, there’s no doubt about it. Making 19 appearances in all competitions this year, the 18 year-old won two tackles per game and made 1.8 interceptions and 2.7 clearances per game, per Whoscored.

However, his one weakness is also the area Arsenal need the most improvement in. Whoscored list aerial duels as his only weakness, and he does only manage 1.8 wins in the air per game, an extremely low number for a centre back.

Arsenal meanwhile, are crying out for a commanding and physically dominant leader who will whip the defence into shape Virgil van Dijk style.

While it is obviously impossible to find a player of the Dutchman’s quality without breaking the bank, there are other options out there who aren’t £25m teenagers with poor aerial ability. He is also relatively untested having only been in the first team for six months.

Then there is Konstantinos Mavropanos, who has made just seven appearances in north London since arriving from Greece, and whose path to the first team would surely be blocked by the arrival of another young centre-back.

The Gunners and Unai Emery are desperate for defensive reinforcements, but wasting £25m on a player they may not even get to themselves until next summer would be extremely short-sighted and foolish.