The problem with the Lisandro Martinez transfer to either Arsenal or Manchester United is the club which loses out on the Argentine faces an incredibly difficult challenge to find an alternative to him. When a player of this level of versatility is available, they can cover as many as three different roles and are typically snapped up quickly.
Arsenal would benefit in central defence, left-back and defensive midfield if they were able to pull off the signing of Martinez. Both the Gunners and Erik ten Hag’s new side have made bids to the Dutch side who are holding out for around £42 million to sell their star man.
Similar to the Raphinha situation, should Arsenal miss out on Martinez they will need to seek other options in order to fill the roles. However, football.london displays how tricky this is to achieve.
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The difficulty with this is most alternatives only play two positions to a good level. Lukas Klostermann can play three, deputising at right-back, left-back and predominantly centre-half.
Unlike Martinez, though he cannot play in defensive midfield and so Arsenal would be getting a player to provide competition across the back four instead of Thomas Partey should he get injured. RB Leipzig do not sell on the cheap either and so the German international would cost the Gunners significantly.
Leipzig have a great track record of finding talent and it is no surprise that the next option is Josko Gvadiol. The Croatian international has only been in Germany a year but that is all that it has taken to begin to catch the eye of some of the European elite.
The 20-year-old can play at both left-back and centre half and being left-footed, unlike Klostermann, would provide Arsenal plenty more coverage of Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Magalhaes. That said, he would cost even more than the German, at a similar level to Martinez without the benefit of midfield coverage.
Oleksandr Zinchenko was linked with a move to Arsenal at the start of the window and unlike the first two options does not provide competition for Gabriel. The Ukrainian is a midfielder-turned-left-back who has shone under Pep Guardiola.
There is more scope for Arteta to transform the Ukrainian into an established midfielder whilst continuing to provide left-back versatility. However, another signing should Pablo Mari leave will surely be required if Zinchenko is chosen.
Lastly is likely the most unheard of on the list but the most versatile. Olivier Boscagli can play in all the same positions as Lisandro Martinez but is certainly not at the level of the Argentine despite being the same age. This is the trade-off to get coverage of all the roles.
A regular for PSV he played at centre-half and defensive midfield for the Eredivisie giants but has played at left full-back in the past. A cheaper option than the others but this is reflected in what he would provide.
This details the task that Edu will have should the club fail in their hopes of signing Lisandro Martinez. Even more reason for the club to move aggressively and with a financial purpose to close a deal before their Premier League rivals.
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