The 26-year-old, Catalan central defender Samuel Umtiti has fallen down the pecking order at Camp Nou and boss Ernesto Valverde has only started Umtiti five times in 11 games since he recovered from his latest injury.
Umtiti joined Barca from Lyon in 2016 in a deal worth £24.6million, but injuries have plagued his time with the Catalan giants. He has only made 105 appearances in the three-and-a-half seasons he has been at the club.
Umtiti also fell out with Barcelona chiefs over how he should treat his recurring knee issues, with the club wanting him to undergo surgery, while the defender wanted to try other treatments.
On the other hand, Arsenal fans still think the Frenchman could become a valuable member of Arteta’s squad if he decided to sign for Arsenal.
This is the type of story that will excite a Gunner fan, majorly due to the fact that their team needs serious defensive re-enforcement at the moment, but as a club that has been unlucky with injuries to our players, do we need another injury-prone player?
Samuel Umtiti is a world-class central defender; he has won trophies both at the club and national team level but he has serious issues with injuries. Right from his days in Lyon till now that he is at Barcelona, he has been battling with a bad knee injury problem or muscle or hamstring injury. These injury problems make him miss a lot of games. No matter how good a footballer you are, if you are the type that suffers constant injury problems, you will eventually be asked to leave. No club wants to retain a good player who hardly plays and often gets injured.
Arsenal is eager to bring in defensive reinforcements in the January transfer window after a serious injury to Calum Chambers. Sokratis and David Luiz have often struggled to contain the opposition and have shipped in 30 goals this season. For the Mikel Arteta side, RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano has emerged as a possible target. But the Gunners are likely to only be able to pursue loan deals and that could suit Barcelona as they look to find potential suitors for Umtiti.
Tottenham boss Mourinho is keen to overhaul his squad and has not been impressed by their defensive deficiencies during his short tenure. Tottenham Hotspurs, meanwhile, seem to be conceding more and more goals under Jose Mourinho, with 19 let in since he was appointed as manager in November.
On top of his side’s lapses at the back, he is still waiting for Jan Vertonghen to sign a new deal at the club, and Umtiti could be the perfect replacement, should the Belgian refused to agree on fresh terms.
