Arsenal signing Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth would make a "lot of sense", Gunners expert Charles Watts believes, but he fears that Mikel Arteta's team may not be as well-positioned as other clubs in the race for the highly-rated Spaniard.
The North London giants are said to be one of several sides interested in capturing the 20-year-old this summer, when he could leave the Vitality Stadium for a relatively modest £50m thanks to a release clause in his contract with Andoni Iraola's side.
Huijsen has excelled both on and off the ball this term, scoring twice in 28 Premier League matches for the Cherries, and Arsenal will get a good look at the Spain international in Saturday evening's clash at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal's supposed interest in Huijsen comes at a time when William Saliba is being linked with a move to Real Madrid, and while Watts does not believe that the Gunners chasing Huijsen has anything to do with concerns about Saliba's future, he fears that the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool could have the upper hand in the race.
"It's an interesting one," Watts told Sports Mole. "There is interest from Arsenal. But the strength of interest from elsewhere might make it difficult for Arsenal to follow this one up. This is me talking more of a hunch than information on it, but we know that Bournemouth want a quick resolution, and Huijsen does as well.
"If Arsenal were to do anything, I don't see them signing him without anyone going out. Others might be in a better position to get it done quickly, a Liverpool or a Chelsea. But if they were to sign him, I don't think it'd be necessarily because either Gabriel's going to Saudi or Saliba's going to Real Madrid.
Why Huijsen to Arsenal would make "a lot of tense"
"I think it's like, 'we're future-proofing ourselves. We've got a really good young, talented defender who could learn from these two.' Because Huijsen's still so early on in his career. He's got huge amounts to learn, and what better way to develop than behind arguably the best centre-back partnership in the world, which could end up breaking up in the next couple of years.
"Hopefully it doesn't, but it could. And then he can just slot in because he can play on the right or left. It would make a lot of sense. But I wonder if they're going to be best positioned to get this deal done for such an in-demand player who, by all accounts, Bournemouth want to get done very, very early on."
As Arsenal are known to be pursuing improvements in the striker, left-wing, number six and goalkeeper slots this summer, a new centre-back is arguably one of the last things that sporting director Andrea Berta needs to focus on right now.
When fully fit, Gabriel Magalhaes and Saliba are an unbreakable pairing, while Jakub Kiwior has unexpectedly impressed in place of the former during his recent absence with a serious hamstring injury.
However, Kiwior will likely be the subject of interest from other clubs when the summer window opens, potentially opening up a space for Huijsen to fill, although he would go from being a guaranteed starter at Bournemouth to a second-string player at Arsenal.
The 20-year-old would likely enjoy more regular minutes at Chelsea, Manchester United or even Real Madrid - who are prioritising the signing of a new centre-back - but Watts has argued that he would benefit more from being a backup to Saliba and Gabriel than starting every week at another top club.
The case for Huijsen to accept Arsenal backup role
© Imago
"When you're his age, and you've only just broken through into first-team football, I don't think you can expect to walk in at a very top club and be a starting centre-back straight away," he added.
"If Liverpool still have [Ibrahima] Konate and [Virgil] van Dijk, is he going to muscle one of those two out? I don't think so. You've got to learn your trade still. If you go into a top club, you've got to accept there's going to be a hell of a lot of competition.
"I can't imagine 'I have to play every single game if I'm going to Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Liverpool or Chelsea' is at the very forefront of his mind. If you're really thinking that, you've got the wrong people in your ear telling you what you need to be doing at this stage of your career.
"It's more about how do I develop best? What club am I going to go to where in the next two or three years I'm going to develop into one of the top defenders in the world? That's what they need to be looking at rather than playing every single minute right away as a 20-year-old kid who's only just broken into the Bournemouth team."
Watts's worry that Arsenal's rivals could be better positioned in the race for Huijsen could seemingly come true, as reports on Friday claimed that a fellow Premier League side could now have a 'free run' at the 2005-born defender in the summer.
Ben Knapton
