Arsenal scouts have been sent to watch Real Sociedad duo Martin Zubimendi and Robin Le Normand, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Mikel Arteta’s team has recently lost some form. After winning seven consecutive Premier League games, they’ve drawn two, both after going 2-0 up in the first half.
That demonstrates that Arsenal still has a lot of room for improvement, particularly at right-center-half when William Saliba is unavailable. That is most likely why Le Normand is being considered.
Arsenal Le Normand, Robin
Getty Images/Juan Manuel Serrano Arce
According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal has sent scouts to watch Martin Zubimendi and Robin Le Normand.
Arsenal have been linked with a move for Zubimendi for some time, but Le Normand is a relatively new name, despite being linked on a couple of occasions in the past.
The Frenchman has been with Sociedad since 2016, after joining them from Brest’s B side. He was promoted to senior member three years later and has made tremendous progress since then.
Le Normand has played over 170 games in all competitions for the club. He can play in both centre-half positions and is one of their most valuable assets.
According to Romano, Arsenal has sent scouts to watch Le Normand as well as Zubimendi. In his contract, the defender has a £44 million release clause.
“Arsenal sent their scouts to follow both Martin Zubimendi and Robin Le Normand this year as they’re doing excellent with Real Sociedad, but nothing is concrete yet,” the journalist wrote for CaughtOffside on Substack.
“The Gunners’ plans for new signings will be finalized in the coming weeks; nothing has been finalized yet.” The release clause for Le Normand is €50 million (£44 million).”
On the right side of Arsenal’s central defense, Le Normand could be seen as an upgrade over Rob Holding.
This season, William Saliba has made that position his own, but the Frenchman has been out with a back injury for a few weeks now, and the drop in quality in that area of the pitch is visible to all.
Holding hasn’t been terrible by any means; he’s done a good job for the most part. However, he lacks Saliba’s skill set with the ball at his feet, which limits some of Arsenal’s attacking play.
In possession, Le Normand is more at ease than Holding, and he could be brought in to replace the Englishman this summer.
