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Arsenal in for €80m Sporting CP defender with Arteta hungry for back line help
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Arsenal are looking to further boost their back line, and another target from Sporting Club de Portugal is in the team’s sights.
Ousmane Diomande, a 22-year-old centre-back who played a key role in knocking Arsenal out of the Europa League back in 2023, is on the Gunners’ radar after impressing over the last few seasons in Portugal, according to TeamTalk.
Ever-present in 2023/24 and 2024/25 under Ruben Amorim, the Ivory Coast international has been in and out of the first XI, having missed 11 matches due to a pair of muscle injuries.
Current ETV
Ousmane Diomandé
D (C)
Sporting
Ousmane Diomandé
D (C)
Sporting
ETV Range
€35.3M - €43.1M
Diomande played as the middle defender in Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation. This season, he has been the right-sided centre-back in Rui Borges’ 4-2-3-1, which would help him adjust to Mikel Arteta’s system at Arsenal.
That said, there are two big questions Arsenal need to answer before sanctioning a move for a player with an €80 million release clause.
Do Arsenal need another defender?
Arsenal has invested heavily in its defence in the Mikel Arteta era, with Gabriel, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Cristhian Mosquera, and Piero Hincapie all arriving since the Spaniard took the job.
Tomiyasu, Zinchenko, and Kiwior have since departed, but the Gunners have tons of talent at that end of the pitch. Their 20 goals conceded through 27 matches is the best record in the Premier League.
But, the Gunners have dropped seven points in five Premier League matches beginning with their 3-2 defeat to Manchester United on 25 January, making observers question if starting centre-back duo Gabriel and William Saliba need more competition.
Signing another Portuguese league player the right move?
Viktor Gyokeres was regarded as Arsenal’s most important signing of the 2025 summer transfer window, but he has not hit the heights in England that he reached with Sporting in Portugal.
STATS
Viktor Gyökeres
F (C)
Arsenal
Viktor Gyökeres
F (C)
Arsenal
Gyokeres’ eight league goals in 25 appearances leads the club, but it is a far cry from his tally of 39 goals in 33 Liga Portugal matches last season.
The adjustment to the Premier League has proven a challenge, although he has four goals in six Champions League matches. The adjustment from Liga Portugal to the Premier League has challenged the prolific Gyokeres, so the same may be expected for the younger Diomande.
With the Gunners’ title push coming under pressure amid a dip in form, observers will be right to wonder if another young defender is the answer to the club’s questions.
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