Arsenal Make Contact With In-Demand Wolfsburg Right-Back Ridle Baku

According to reports in Germany, Arsenal have established a serious interest in signing Wolfsburg full-back Ridle Baku and have made contact over a summer move. Manager Mikel Arteta wants to bring in a cover for the right-back position.

Wolfsburg are currently eighth on the Bundesliga table. Baku has been instrumental to the German club climbing four positions on the table from where they finished last season. He has featured in 31 games so far this season, scoring 5 goals and making one assist across all competitions (stats via Transfermarkt).

The 25-year-old defender has played more than 150 matches in the German top-flight suggesting that he has gained enough experience to play for a bigger club and a big-money move certainly looks to be the way forward. However, the Gunners won’t be the only club in line to sign the full-back.

According to the Bundesliga journalist Christian Falk (via Caught Offside), Arsenal have registered their interest in Wolfsburg right-back Ridle Baku. They have established contact with the defender over a transfer in the summer window. However, the will be facing competition from Chelsea and Villarreal for his signature. Falk said:

“Ridle Baku of Wolfsburg got the call from Arsenal. The Gunners are interested in the German player who can play right-back and right-wing. But they’re not alone in their interest, as Chelsea made a call themselves during the winter window. Villarreal also want to make a bid this summer.”

The injury issues of Reece James have forced Chelsea to look for a backup option, with Cesar Azpilicueta being the only other right-back in the team. However, his contract with the club lasts only till the summer of 2024. Consequently, the blues have to find a replacement for the Spanish veteran.

🚨 Ridle Baku is in Arsenal’s shortlist. The player is expected to leave Wolfsburg this summer. Valuation of around €15m. Reports, @Plettigoal. pic.twitter.com/mvPyYgZGFM

— Eduardo Hagn (@EduardoHagn) April 11, 2023

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has deployed Ben White as the right-back for most of this season. Although it has worked well for the Spanish manager, he still needs a player that is naturally suited to the position. The injury-prone Takehiro Tomiyasu was the number 1 right-back choice before entering this season.

Do Arsenal Really Need A Right-back Such As Ridle Baku?

Ben White is naturally a centre-back. The manager wants Oleksandr Zinchenko to advance forward from the left-back position. This limits the movement of White to mostly keeping possession and making interceptions when needed.

However, that could make the team a bit more predictable after a certain period of time. Also, the North London side should look for a way to give more support to Bukayo Saka on the right wing. He needs a right-back who can overlap or underlap.

Considering the skillset of the 25-year-old defender, Arteta can use him similarly to how Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag uses Diogo Dalot. He gets in the midfield intelligently to create a midfield overload. The Spanish manager can use this to have more numbers in the midfield.

Like most of the modern right-backs, the German full-back has very good pace and energy while both attacking and defending. Baku is also very good at turning with the ball because of his technical ability.

The right-back also crosses the ball well when the situation demands. The North Londoners are also looking to bring in a striker in the summer transfer window. The crosses of Ridle Baku to a prolific Arsenal striker could be a scary combo for the opponents.

However, the Gunners will have to fight off the competition from Chelsea who will not shy away when it comes to spending money as evident in the January transfer window.

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