Why Arsenal should go all out for Lukas Klostermann in January

Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the new Premier League season on Saturday, with the Gunners losing 3-1 to Liverpool at Anfield.

The north London side travelled to Merseyside with their unbeaten start to the season on the line following wins over Newcastle United and Burnley in their opening two fixtures, only for Liverpool architect Mohamed Salah to ensure that they made the journey back to London empty-handed.

Salah scored twice in the second half, including a superb solo effort, to put Liverpool 3-0 ahead after Joel Matip had handed the Reds a half-time lead with a header. Substitute Lucas Torreira netted a late consolation for Arsenal, but the damage was already done.

It was the same old calamitous Arsenal at Anfield. Signing David Luiz from Chelsea on the transfer deadline day might have felt like a clever and smart piece of business, but the Brazilian’s second-half show against Jurgen Klopp’s side was a reality check for all the Gunners fans.

In fact, Arsenal’s defence struggled to cope with Liverpool’s high press and found their penalty area bombarded time and again. Right-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles was given a torrid time by Andrew Robertson and Roberto Firmino, as the young defender barely looked comfortable.

As Hector Bellerin he continues to recover from an ACL tear that ended his 2018/19 campaign in January, Maitland-Niles has started the Gunners’ first three games of the season.

Although he has performed well barring the Liverpool game, the matter of fact is Unai Emery cannot simply trust the 21-year-old at right-back or right wing-back position against bigger opposition.

Back in July, the Football Espana had claimed that Arsenal were interested in signing RB Leipzig defender Lukas Klostermann.

He joined RB Leipzig in 2014 from VFL Bochum and has been involved in their promotion to the top tier and unprecedented rise in German football. Knowing his quality and experience in Bundesliga football, the Gunners must rekindle their interest in Lukas Klostermann and sign him in January.

Lukas Klostermann, 23, has established himself as one of the best full-backs in Germany.

The German is a high-flying right-back, known for his pace, energy, and stamina and attacking prowess in the final third of the pitch. He is no slouch defensively, plus his versatility to fill in as a left-back and centre-back should also be a big asset for Emery.

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With Arsenal releasing Stephan Lichtsteiner and selling Carl Jenkinson to Nottingham Forest in the summer, Emery is left just with two right-backs in Bellerin and Maitland-Niles. That isn’t enough for the Gunners to compete for a top-four finish, even though they have strengthened the other areas of the squad.

Verdict

That’s when signing Klostermann would make sense for the Gunners, as he’ll not only be the ideal candidate to compete with Bellerin at right-back but also could make an immediate impact in helping Emery’s side finish in the top four.