Five Arsenal alternatives as Lisandro Martinez nears Man Utd

Updated: 13 Jul 2022 14:58 BST
4 min read

Wesley Fofana, Leicester, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Arsenal suspect that Ajax centre-back Lisandro Martinez is bound for Manchester United, meaning they will now have to turn their attention elsewhere.

The Premier League rivals have been monitoring Martinez's situation for some time, with the Argentina international keen to test himself in England's top flight after three years in the Netherlands.

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It looks like United will beat Arsenal his signature, with Martinez set to be reunited with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

But Arsenal needn't worry, with a number of players in his position also available for the right price this summer.

Football Transfers picks out five of the most likely...

Jurrien Timber

Jurrien Timber had been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United earlier in the summer, but he reportedly spurned their advances, which saw the Red Devils shift their focus to his Ajax teammate Martinez instead.

Timber had been told by former United manager Louis van Gaal that he couldn't guarantee him a place in the Netherlands' World Cup squad this winter if he went to Old Trafford and didn't play. But Van Gaal has a fraught history with United that he doesn't with Arsenal, and the path to the Gunners' first XI is also less blocked.

🚨 Wednesday's lunchtime transfer update:

Jurrien Timber has been warned off Man Utd by Louis van Gaal.

Here's why the words of the Netherlands boss matter:https://t.co/Bco4VDe7Rd
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) June 8, 2022

Pau Torres

Another player previously linked with United, Torres could prove a shrewd acquisition for Arsenal with Martinez no longer competition for a place Mikel Arteta's back four.

Torres has a €65 million release clause in his contract with Villarreal, which runs until 2025, putting him well within Arsenal's reach. Arsenal's lack of Champions League football this season might prove an Achilles' heel, but Villarreal only qualified for the Europa Conference League, which might not appeal to Spain starter in a World Cup year.

Benjamin Pavard

Bayern Munich are soon to add Juventus's Matthijs de Ligt to their ranks having already acquired another Ajax player in Noussair Mazraoui. A centre-back and right-back respectively, the pair will block Benjamin Pavard's path to his favoured two positions at the Allianz Arena.

But Pavard remains an elite-level operator, one who gets his game for world champions France, and Arsenal could do worse than test Bayern's resolve to hold onto a player whose contract runs until 2024.

🗳️ #WorldCupAtHome | Benjamin Pavard's perfect pearler topped the Moment of the Match poll in 🇫🇷🆚🇦🇷 at Russia 2018

📺 Miss the match? Watch it in full, for free and on demand right here 👇
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) April 12, 2020

Manuel Akanji

If Pavard's first-team minutes are set to be compromised, Manuel Akanji must feel positively frozen out at Borussia Dortmund. Summer moves for Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck - from Bayern and Freiburg respectively - means that alongside Mats Hummels, Dortmund now have three Germany centre-backs in his way.

Akanji is out of contract at the end of the coming campaign and could be available for less than the €21m he is rated at by Football Transfers' sophisticated in-house algorithm.

Wesley Fofana

Last but by no means least is Wesley Fofana. The Leicester man endured an injury-plagued season in 2021/22 but he remains an exciting young player in the position.

Chelsea are known to have watched Fofana before, but with Kalidou Koulibaly and Nathan Ake inbound at Stamford Bridge, he might be better moving to North London instead of West. He could even have Leicester teammate Youri Tielemans for company.

Of course, Mikel Arteta could just take Per Mertesacker's advice and hand William Saliba a chance in the first team after his loan to Marseille last season, but if he doesn't, there are plenty of options on the market not named Lisandro Martinez.