Arsenal are in grave danger of letting the Premier League title slip from their grasp.
Of course, no one could have predicted the Gunners being in this position eight months but to collapse this late on, with three successive draws allowing Manchester City back into the race, it would be something of a disappointment.
Mikel Arteta’s squad depth has been really tested in recent outings and the absence of William Saliba through injury could well be the sticking point that haunts the Emirates Stadium for years to come as the Frenchman just does not have an adequate backup for a title race.
Rob Holding and January recruit Jakub Kiwior – seen as one for the future – are the alternatives, whilst Takehiro Tomiyasu – if fit – would allow Ben White back into the middle.
Edu Gaspar and co’s failure to sign a talented central defender that could push both Saliba and his first-choice counterpart Gabriel Magalhaes could well cost them, and they got a taste of what could’ve been two weeks ago when they squared up with Liverpool at Anfield.
Among the centre-backs on show was Ibrahima Konate, a player that was strongly linked with a switch to Arsenal back in November 2020, via German outlet Sport BILD.
How close was Ibrahima Konate from joining Arsenal?
The report suggested that the Gunners had been monitoring the young Frenchman ahead of a potential move and also revealed that he had a release clause of just €50m (£45m).
At the end of that campaign, it was their Premier League rivals who snapped him up from RB Leipzig for just £36m.
Konate even revealed that both Arsene Wenger and Thierry Henry’s past comments about Anfield helped him decide on his future – speaking to Onze Mondial, he said:
“One day, Thierry Henry said on television that he would have liked to play in Liverpool.
“Arsene Wenger and many other great managers have said that Anfield is an extraordinary stadium. I live it as a player, it’s real.”
How has Konate done at Liverpool?
The 23-year-old has emerged as a key player for Jurgen Klopp, often being the preferred partner to Virgil van Dijk, having started each of their last eight fixtures in the English top-flight, including the aforementioned 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
Konate came out of the game as one of the Reds’ top performers as senior writer Mike Craven hailed him as a “beast” for his defensive work against the league leaders.
Indeed, the Paris-born colossus won 73% of his duels, including 100% of his headers and registered five tackles, three interceptions one block. He even had an expected goals (xG) ratio of 0.59 for one chance, via Sofascore.
At the other end of the pitch, Holding was a little rocky, having earned the third-lowest rating of any starter between the two sides.
He also won just 44% of his duels, both in the air and on the ground, and failed miserably in thwarting Klopp’s lethal attack, not only conceding a penalty but also having one error that led to a shot, via Sofascore.
The difference between the two was night and day, and it could have been an all too different story had Edu won the race for Konate’s signature 18 months ago.
Earning around £70k-per-week in Merseyside, the former Leipzig titan has also been hailed as an “absolute dream” by Liverpool legend Phil Thompson, only compounding Arteta’s misery even more as he really could have done with his presence in the absence of Saliba.
Konate could well have been that ‘dream’ for Arsenal, and one that allowed them to avoid this Holding nightmare, on their charge to a first Premier League title in nearly a decade.
