A busy summer is expected at Arsenal as head coach Unai Emery looks to make further improvements to a squad which has done OK in his first season in charge.
The January transfer window turned out to be one of pure frustration for many Gunners supporters as cover for the injured trio of Danny Welbeck, Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin failed to materialise.
Denis Suarez’s loan move from Barcelona was the only piece of business the north London outfit were able to get done and that was due to a lack of funds at the Spanish tactician’s disposal which meant permanent deals were off the table.
A new left-back is very much on the agenda this summer and there’s been links to many who can play in this position of late.
Following claims from Argentinian reporter Martin Liberman that the Gunners are interested in Nicolas Tagliafico, there’s been a huge development in this reported pursuit in the past 24 hours.
With that said, here’s all you need to know about the left-back who could replace Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac next season.
Who is he?
Nicolas Tagliafico is a 26-year-old defender who currently plays in the Netherlands with Ajax.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tagliafico came through the ranks at Banfield and made his professional debut in 2011 as a substitute in a 2-1 away win at Tigre. He would go on to make eight further appearances that season.
The following campaign is where he began to really establish himself in the Banfield starting XI, but he was loaned out to Spanish Segunda Division side Real Murica in the 2012/2013 after his parent club suffered relegation.
Tagliafico returned to help Banfield gain promotion in 2014 but a year later he made the move to Independiente and captained the team that won the 2017 Copa Sudamericana.
A return to Europe was sealed in the 2018 January transfer window has he joined Ajax and has since made almost 50 appearances across all competitions.
Furthermore, Tagliafico is an Argentina international. He’s got 13 caps to his name after making his bow against Brazil in 2017 and was included in the 23-man squad for last summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
Tasked with defending and offering an outlet going forward, Tagliafico has averaged 2.3 tackles, made 2.1 interceptions and 1.6 clearances per game.
Offensively he’s completed 0.5 dribbles, taken 1.3 shots and made 1.4 key passes per game. On the ball he’s secure in possession, recording a 85.5 pass completion and averaging 1.2 crosses per game.
In the Eredivisie he’s featured in all but five games, scoring once and providing three assists as Ajax aim to keep pace with PSV Eindhoven in the title race.