A second-place finish last season was the closest Arsenal had come to achieving Premier League glory in almost two decades, having been top of the division for 248 days before losing the lead to treble-winners Manchester City.
A back injury to star defender William Saliba in February was arguably the primary catalyst behind the Gunners' demise – as hinted at by teammate, Gabriel Jesus – but head coach Mikel Arteta is keen to add depth to his defensive department to ensure the same doesn't happen this time around.
The Spaniard has identified one player in particular who could have a massive impact at the Emirates Stadium for years to come.
Arsenal transfer targets – Yarek Gasiorowski
According to Spanish outlet Diario AS, the north London club are keen to secure the services of Valencia defender Yarek Gasiorowski and have been keeping tabs on his progress for a number of years with Los Ches. The report also states that Arsenal couldn't make a move for the youngster until his 18th birthday due to Brexit regulations, prohibiting English clubs from signing foreign players aged 17 and under.
Gasiorowski, who is eligible to play for both the Spain and Poland national teams, made his debut for Valencia this season in a 1-1 draw with Mallorca back in October and has gone on to feature three times in La Liga, including a 35-minute cameo against European giants Real Madrid.
The player was pursued by Austrian champions RB Salzburg during the summer, with Valencia even turning down a £4.3m offer for the player who was described as a "rare" talent by journalist Antonio Mango, after scoring a hattrick as a central defender on Wednesday for Spain's U19s in a 5-0 win over Moldova.
Yarek Gasiorowski's stats this season
Gasiorowski is a versatile youngster, having played as a left centre-back, a left-back and a right centre-back this season for Valencia in all competitions. Despite being left-footed, the 18-year-old has also featured twice at right-back since the beginning of the 2022/23 season and possesses a wonderful passing range, capable of breaking lines of opposition pressing with ease.
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes is a lot less versatile than this, having played solely in the heart of defence under Arteta this term. The Brazilian has had experience at left-back and even in midfield as a single-pivot but has been utilised in these positions just once throughout his entire playing career, according to Transfermarkt.
Gabriel is a solid defender but has certain defensive weaknesses which could force Arteta to look for a stronger candidate to partner with Saliba at the back in the near future. The Brazilian is in the top 4% for challenges lost per 90 this season compared to all centre-backs in Europe's top-five leagues. Furthermore, the former Lille man is in the top 19% for errors per 90 and has won merely 58.4% of his aerial duels per 90, according to FBref. Gasiorowski, on the other hand, has yet to lose a single header since being called up to the first team.
Arteta notoriously enjoys players who are versatile. Thomas Partey has played as both a defensive midfielder and at right-back, Oleksandr Zinchenko can play at left-back and in the middle of the park, while Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu can feature all across the backline. Gasiorowksi is far more flexible with his positioning than Gabriel and could be the perfect player for the Spanish coach's fluid style.
As such, the young left-footer could usurp the Gunners man in the years to come to form a long-term partnership with Saliba in the heart of the backline, with that potentially set to be a truly mouthwatering duo, indeed.
