Arsenal Re-establish Contact With Real Valladolid to Sign Ivan Fresneda

Ivan Fresneda, Manchester United, Arsenal

As per reports in Spain, Arsenal have made contact with Real Valladolid to discuss a potential deal to sign defender Ivan Fresneda. Manager Mikel Arteta is keen to upgrade his defence ahead of the 2023-24 season and has marked the Spanish right-back as a possible target.

Ivan Fresneda has been an essential part of the Valladolid side in this campaign. Despite being only 18-years-old, the full-back featured in the playing XI in half of the matches that the Spanish outfit have played this season across all competitions.

The Spanish defender has had an impressive 2022-23 season, although his efforts were not enough to keep his side from relegation. It is to be noted that this was his first full season in the top-flight and he graduated through the academy to the first-team without playing elsewhere on loan. This caught the eyes of many top European clubs like Manchester United.

According to Mundo Deportivo (via GOAL), Arsenal have revived their interest in Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda. The Gunners have established contact with the La Liga club to weigh up a potential deal for the defender this summer.

As reported by Daily Cannon, the North London side attempted to sign the 18-year-old in the January transfer window. The English club even submitted an offer of around £13m, but a deal failed to materialise due to Valladolid’s high asking price.

However, after the Spanish outfit’s relegation to the Segunda division, the release clause for the full-back has now been reduced to £17million (€20m), half of the original asking price. This has prompted Arsenal to rekindle their interest in Ivan Fresneda.

Iván Fresneda’s release clause is now available for €20m after Valladolid’s relegation, confirmed — as @relevo reported ✨🇪🇸 #transfers

…sources feel Fresneda could still leave for less than €20m in the summer.

Interest but NO bid from Arsenal.
Dortmund, strongly interested. pic.twitter.com/l3uvIzcziI

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 5, 2023

Meanwhile, La Liga giants Barcelona have also been following the Spaniard for a long time and the club’s new sporting director, Deco, has made contact with the player’s representatives, as per the Daily Mail. Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta’s side have the edge as the Catalans’ financial constraints allow them to offer only upto £8.5m (€10m).

The 18-year-old caught everyone’s attention when his fierce game-play and physicality gave a hard time to opposition wingers. Despite having very little experience, he has not shied away from taking on world-class players. This fearless quality is something that most clubs look for when signing a fullback.

Takehiro Tomiyasu was not able to play a majority of matches last season due to his injury. As a consequence, Mikel Arteta played Ben White as the right-back despite his original position being a centre-back. The Spanish manager also used Cedric Soares at times, but continued with Ben White which was more effective.

Could Ivan Fresneda Help Mikel Arteta to Win Silverware at Arsenal?

Arsenal have only one option as the right-back and that is Takehiro Tomiyasu. The Japanese defender showed good signs last season to be a promised starter. However, his injury made it difficult for him to play consistently and perform to his maximum abilities. Arteta had to put 3 of his key centre-backs in the starting lineup for most of the season, making it difficult for him to give rest to the central defence pairing.

The Spanish manager could have used Ben White and Rob Holding as a backup pair to William Saliba and Gabriel. However, White already played most of the matches. This led to fatigue in the closing stages of the season. Holding, on the other hand, failed to keep up the quality levels of his gameplay. The Gunners slipped up in the Premier League title race with Manchester City, winning only 3 of the last 9 matches.

The Gunners have a perfect pairing on the left with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney. Both the players are fierce like the 18-year-old Spaniard and like challenges. Fresneda could build a good partnership with Bukayo Saka on the right-flank. That way Arsenal will be unstoppable from both sides with a good recovery pace.

Signing Ivan Fresneda could be one step towards winning trophies and creating dominance in the longer term for Arsenal. Although the Spanish defender may not be the answer to all of Arteta’s problems, a player of his quality with more experience could be a quick fix for the club. Arteta will want to win trophies in the next season itself and not wait one more season for silverware.

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