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‘He could play’… £26m defender now told to join Newcastle United instead of Arsenal
Radu Dragusin should pick Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United over Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
That is the opinion of Florin Gardos, who has named the Arsenal player who would stop Dragusin from getting into Mikel Arteta’s team.
So, what has Florin Gardos said about Arsenal and Newcastle United target Radu Dragusin? Let’s take a look.
What’s the story?
Well, Radu Dragusin is one of the best young defenders in Italy, and both Arsenal and Newcastle United are showing interest in him.
Dragusin, who has earned 12 caps for Romania, is playing for Genoa at the moment and has been likened to Liverpool and Netherlands international centre-back Virgil van Dijk.
The defender’s agent, Florin Manea, has told Fanatik that he has already spoken to Newcastle, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur about the Romanian star.
Manea said that “100 per cent by next summer” Dragusin would leave Genoa, adding that “he wants to be in the Premier League”.
The agent had earlier said that Genoa want €30 million (£26.12 million) in transfer fees for 6ft 3in former Juventus defender.
Former Romania international defender Florin Gardos, who played for Southampton in England, has said that the 21-year-old would be better off at Newcastle than at Arsenal.
The 35-year-old has noted that the presence of France international centre-back William Saliba in the Arsenal backline would stop Dragusin from getting into the team.
Gardos told Fanatik about Dragusin, as translated by HITC Sport: “What can I say, what I have seen in the matches, (is that) he has physicality.
“What I liked about him from what I saw in the national team is that he is good in the aerial game. He always wins duels. (Dragusin) has great quality.”
The Romanian added: “It’s hard for me to say if he would play at Arsenal. I don’t know. It’s not hard for me to believe that he could play there.
“(But) thinking about who is playing there, at this moment it would be difficult. He could play at Newcastle, who don’t have centre-backs at that level at the moment.
“At Arsenal, it is more difficult because there is Saliba. And at the moment, (Saliba) is in the top five in the world.”
Newcastle United a better option than Arsenal for Radu Dragusin
I agree with Florin Gardos. If playing time is what Radu Dragusin wants from at next club, then he has to pick Newcastle United over Arsenal.
Gabriel and William Saliba are the two main centre-backs at Arsenal. Ben White can also play as a central defender. The Gunners have the injured Jurrien Timber as well.
Other than Sven Botman, Newcastle do not have a defender that Dragusin would not be able to get ahead of in the pecking order.
Dragusin has scored one goal and given one assist in 12 Serie A matches for Genoa this season.
