Here’s Djene Dakonam,The £31m Togo international defender Unai Emery is eyeing.

Image result for Djene Dakonam

For the better part of the season, Arsenal has been struggling in the defensive area something that has jeopardized the club’s ambitions for a top 4 finish.

Uni Emery is expected to be in the market for a new centre-back this summer and there have been links to Juventus’ Daniele Rugani and Fernando Calero of Real Valladolid.

The Gunners are said to be willing to listen to offers for Skhodran Mustafi in the summer and it could be that Dakonam is going to replace the German World Cup winner in central defense next season.

With that said, here’s all you need to know about the defender.

Djene Dakonam

His full name is Djene Dakonam Ortega, but commonly referred to as ‘Djene’. He is a 27-year-old defender who currently plays in La Liga with Getafe.

Born in Dapaong, Togo, he had a trial at RC Lens in late 2013, before finally securing a move to Europe a few months later as he joined Segunda Division outfit AD Alcorcon following a successful trail period.

Djene began to immediately establish himself as a regular in the and that earned him a transfer to Belgian outfit Sint-Truidense in the summe of 2016, but he returned to Spain a year later when he joined Getafe.

Valencia’s Denis Cheryshev vies for the ball with Getafe defender Djene Dakonam 

He featured in all but two games during his debut season at the club which was also Getafe’s return to the top tier of Spanish football and one of is standout performances was the goalless draw against Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

In almost two full seasons at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez, Djene has made over 60 appearances across all competitions and has found the back of the net on one occasion.

Furthermore, he was in the same squad as Emiliano Martinez last season and is a Togo international having won 34 caps since making his debut in 2012.

How has he done this season?

Getafe finished in a respectable eighth place last season and have kicked on this year. Following last weekend’s round of fixtures they currently sit fourth in the La Liga table meaning they are on course to qualify for the Champions League.

Djene has featured in all but two league matches so far this season and Getafe haven’t managed to win any of those games.

What would excite Arsenal fans about possibly landing the 27-year-old is that he has played a key role in ensuring Getafe have the third best defensive record across La Liga, conceding fewer goals than Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Djene also offers a versatile option as he’s played at right-back in the past while manager Jose Bordalas used him in a defensive midfield position at the beginning of the season against Sevilla and Atletico Madrid.

Predominately tasked with keeping out the opposition, Djene has averaged 1.9 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per game in La Liga so far this season, although one concern is the number of yellow cards he accumulates.

On the ball he’s decent but there’s room for improvement. Averaging 0.2 key passes per game, an 72.5% pass accuracy and attempting 3 long balls per gam

How much would he cost?

Given his impressive form over the past two seasons it’s no surprise that the 27-year-old is being linked with a move away from Getafe, with Barcelona among the clubs said to be tracking him.

Leicester City were linked with a £25m deal last summer, but Djene instructed his club to reject any offers for him as he wasn’t interested in a move to the Premier League at the time.

Image result for Djene Dakonam

Other clubs to be linked with the defender include Real Madrid, Sevilla and West Ham United.

Djene has a £31m release clause in his contract at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez and this has been confirmed by Torres in the past.”We will now sell Djene for less than his €35m (£31m) clause,” he told Cadena Cope earlier in the season.

That price-tag would probably put Arsenal off at the moment, but the agreement with Adidas should give the club more clout in the transfer market in the summer, compared to the restrictions they have been working to so far at the Emirates Stadium.

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