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Published: May 16, 2021 7:10 pm
Last Updated: May 16, 2021 7:14 pm
A fresh insight into Arsenal’s interest in the signature of Southampton full-back Ryan Bertrand has been forthcoming on Sunday evening.
Table of Contents
Defensive woes
The left-back spot at the Emirates has of course proven something of a problem area to this point in the campaign.
Whilst Kieran Tierney has continued to prove himself as one of the Premier League’s finest when fit and available, the Scot has also been forced to deal with a series of fitness problems.
All told, Tierney has managed starts in just two thirds of Arsenal’s league outings thus far.
In turn, with such a dearth of natural options in reserve following Sead Kolasinac’s January loan departure, Mikel Arteta has been forced to get creative in his efforts to keep the left side of the Gunners’ backline afloat.
A combination of Bukayo Saka, Cedric Soares and even, in recent weeks, Granit Xhaka, have been fielded in the position, all to varying degrees of success.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 14: Cedric of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on March 14, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
All three of the aforementioned options, though, have their drawbacks.
Saka’s are the most obvious, with the youngster’s presence sorely missed further forward when forced into a defensive role in north London.
An element of midfield control, meanwhile, is lost upon the oft maligned Xhaka being pulled away from his berth in the middle of the park, whilst Cedric, despite generally looking solid on the left, is more comfortable on the right.
Bertrand eyed
In turn, it goes without saying that securing ample cover for Kieran Tierney should be an absolute priority for the Arsenal board ahead of next season.
And, if the latest word stemming from the media on Sunday is to be believed, then those in a position of power at the Emirates are already working towards exactly that.
As revealed by transfer insider The AFC Bell, widely regarded as reliable when it comes to all things Gunners, interest in one left-back target has moved up a notch over the last 72 hours.
The player in question? Ryan Bertrand.
It is claimed that the pursuit on the part of Edu Gaspar and co. has now reached ‘a serious stage’.
An alternative target is also being taken into consideration, but, as things stand, Southampton stopper Bertrand – whose contract is due to expire in the summer – is priority no.1.
This comes as Arsenal’s transfer chiefs move to tie up agreements ahead of the official opening of the window next month:
معلومات #جرس_أرسنال تفيد بأن اهتمام النادي بخدمات ريان بيرتراند دخل مرحلة جدّية في الـ ٧٢ ساعة الماضية.
هناك ملف ثاني يُعمل عليه بالتوازي (خيار بديل) لسد احتياج خانة الظهير الأيسر لكن ملف بيرتراند هو الأكثر سخونة.
النادي يكثّف جهوده لحسم أولى صفقات الصيف.
— TheAFCBell ?? (@TheAFCBeII) May 16, 2021
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 36 | 47 | 83 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 36 | 28 | 70 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 36 | 21 | 66 |
| 4 | Chelsea FC | 36 | 22 | 64 |
| 5 | Liverpool FC | 35 | 20 | 60 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 36 | 22 | 59 |
| 7 | West Ham United FC | 36 | 10 | 59 |
| 8 | Everton FC | 35 | 4 | 56 |
| 9 | Arsenal FC | 36 | 12 | 55 |
| 10 | Leeds United | 36 | 4 | 53 |
| 11 | Aston Villa FC | 36 | 7 | 49 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 36 | -14 | 45 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 36 | -21 | 44 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 36 | -16 | 43 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 36 | -18 | 39 |
| 16 | Newcastle United FC | 36 | -19 | 39 |
| 17 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 36 | -5 | 38 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 36 | -24 | 27 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 35 | -36 | 26 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 35 | -44 | 17 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 22 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 17 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 17 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 16 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 13 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 13 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 13 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 12 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 12 |
| Wood, Chris | Burnley FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 12 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 11 |
| Iheanacho, Kelechi | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 10 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 9 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 11 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 10 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 8 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 8 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 8 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 1 | 7 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 8 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 7 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Andersen, Joachim | Fulham FC | 1 | 7 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 8 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 7 |
| Holgate, Mason | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| McGoldrick, David | Sheffield United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Westwood, Ashley | Burnley FC | 0 | 7 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 7 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 8 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 8 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 8 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 7 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 7 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Eze, Eberechi | Crystal Palace FC | 7 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 7 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 7 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 7 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 6 |
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