I’m starting to feel sorry for Shkodran Mustafi but before you all start to think I’ve seen too much sun or that I’ve enjoyed one sangria too many, one has to look at this from a different angle and apply a dash of compassion.

AS Monaco have enquired about Shkodran Mustafi who Arsenal value at €30m [L’Equipe] pic.twitter.com/2AryoqHCjy

— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) July 29, 2019

I’ve not changed my opinion of the hapless, giant German defender. He has never settled in the Arsenal side, he lacks leadership and pace and is probably the most unsuited defender to the premier league. The fact that Arsenal haven’t had a stable defence has made his task even more difficult but we should all admit that he didn’t have the tools for the job from the start.

Mustafi sparkled in a German National side that blitzed their way to a World Cup win and as a result, he appeared to be the answer to all of Arsenal’s defensive woes.

Mustafi wasn’t and still isn’t but due to a lack of depth and genuine alternatives, Emery and Wenger persisted with handing out chances like a man with a bag full of discount flyers at a tube station.

The situation has recently worsened with his own fans in full bloodied boo mode and as a result, Mustafi’s performances have also dipped significantly. So, we are now at a stage where one feeds off the other. Bad performance, bad reception, bad reception, bad performance, so it’s time to help Mustafi move on, if not from a financial point of and more of a humane position.

Arsenal in talks with number of clubs over Shkodran Mustafi exit. 27yo (contract until 2021) wants to stay + prove himself. But #AFC want permanent or loan departure. Also hope to bolster central defence pre-deadline & retain interest in Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney #CelticFC

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 30, 2019

Imagine you are locked into a contract at a place of employment where you are no longer wanted. Where everything you do is magnified and scrutinised and any contribution is substandard. That’s Mustafi’s existence and Arsenal need to make every effort to remove him from his own personal hell and by doing so improve their defence.

Mustafi is the scapegoat but quite frankly Arsenal’s defence has been shot to pieces for years because there are no exceptional central defenders in the side at present. Sokratis and Holding are decent players but they are certainly not the definitive answer to the problem.

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Mavropanos is still untested, Koscielny wants out, which leaves us with Chambers who has spent his Arsenal career on the fringes and loan star Krystian Bielik and out of those, Bielik would be a starter in every game of the season for me.

Rumours that Monaco want Mustafi should be welcomed and Arsenal should facilitate a deal for the players release. Whatever Mustafi is or isn’t, it’s time to find Mustafi a new home where he can enjoy his football again.

It’s a similar situation to that of Gabriel Paulista he never made the grade or settled in at Arsenal but his career has took off with Valencia.