an excellent defender. but feels more like a Kos back-up than a replacement for Mertesacker / Gaby. maybe that Mertesacker/Gaby replacement will have to come from Chambers

I think he will do well next to Kos. We don't need a new Mertesacker and we certainly don't need more Gabriels. The problem for Marquinhos is that he's competing with the best defender of the current generation at PSG, and there's no football team in the world that will start two centrebacks who are exactly 6 ft tall. He is the closest thing to Thiago Silva out there though. If Marquinhos is on the market and we turn our collective nose up in the air he will go to Barca instead and be a mainstay in their defence for the next decade or so. Our loss entirely. You either act when guys like this become available or live to regret it.

if we sign him then we might as well sell kos. they are too similar, IMO

we need a physically strong compliment to kos who is also good in the air

Klaus wrote:

I think he will do well next to Kos. We don't need a new Mertesacker and we certainly don't need more Gabriels. The problem for Marquinhos is that he's competing with the best defender of the current generation at PSG, and there's no football team in the world that will start two centrebacks who are exactly 6 ft tall. He is the closest thing to Thiago Silva out there though. If Marquinhos is on the market and we turn our collective nose up in the air he will go to Barca instead and be a mainstay in their defence for the next decade or so. Our loss entirely. You either act when guys like this become available or live to regret it.

Koscielny is hardly a giant himself though. He's 6'1 and no great shakes in the air. If PSG, or any other football team in the world for that matter, won't pick Marquinhos next Thiago Silva on account of their lack of height then I hardly think we could get away with it in the Premier League of all places.

It doesn't matter who we sign in defence. The same problems will persist under the same manager. Marquinhos is undoubtedly quality and one of the best ever young CBs but if he comes over here he will get exposed by our system badly. The price PSG wants for him will probably be too much anyway for our board.

Ricky1985 wrote:
Klaus wrote:

I think he will do well next to Kos. We don't need a new Mertesacker and we certainly don't need more Gabriels. The problem for Marquinhos is that he's competing with the best defender of the current generation at PSG, and there's no football team in the world that will start two centrebacks who are exactly 6 ft tall. He is the closest thing to Thiago Silva out there though. If Marquinhos is on the market and we turn our collective nose up in the air he will go to Barca instead and be a mainstay in their defence for the next decade or so. Our loss entirely. You either act when guys like this become available or live to regret it.

Koscielny is hardly a giant himself though. He's 6'1 and no great shakes in the air. If PSG, or any other football team in the world for that matter, won't pick Marquinhos next Thiago Silva on account of their lack of height then I hardly think we could get away with it in the Premier League of all places.

I doubt it would look worse than it does right now though. Per is bad in the air and Gabriel is just all around clueless.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Koscielny is 31 years old this year. Marquinhos is exactly 10 years younger. Kos is one of my favourite Arsenal players in the last decade but he's not going to last forever. He'll have two good seasons left, maybe three at a stretch. Less if he gets displaced before regression naturally kicks in. We should get Marquinhos this summer and handle the transition for a season or two. We absolutely shouldn't repeat the mistake we made with Mertesacker.

I wouldn't agree Mertesacker is bad in the air; he's often like a magnet in the box, makes so many headed clearances. Far superior to Koscielny aerially for sure.

I'm all for Marquinhos if we can get him, but I think a partnership of him and Koscielny next season would be pretty disastrous. Maybe I can agree with what you've said recently about us not necessarily needing a shouting, pointing leader back there, but we need some experience and intelligence at the very least because Koscielny doesn't give anything beyond his own performance and I doubt Marquinhos would either.

Koscielny is downright poor aerially IMO, Gabriel is slightly better, and Mertesacker is by a mile better than both, is what my eyes tell me. There are probably stats that back that up too I reckon.

The stats don't differ far from our opinions, but Marquinhos' one is always going to look poor playing for a team that hardly have any rearguard actions in a soft league.

Nice to see my eyes are pretty accurate, on this one at least. 🙂

Not sure what people expect when he plays as a fullback this season.

In my case I was referencing our CBs.

Klaus wrote:

I think he will do well next to Kos. We don't need a new Mertesacker and we certainly don't need more Gabriels. The problem for Marquinhos is that he's competing with the best defender of the current generation at PSG, and there's no football team in the world that will start two centrebacks who are exactly 6 ft tall. He is the closest thing to Thiago Silva out there though. If Marquinhos is on the market and we turn our collective nose up in the air he will go to Barca instead and be a mainstay in their defence for the next decade or so. Our loss entirely. You either act when guys like this become available or live to regret it.

If he is available and Barca have the money would be surprised if they don't snap him up.