Borussia Dortmund’s center-back Sven Bender gets on Arsene Wenger’s radar as the Frenchman is trying to build a strong defensive trio

Sven Bender has had an injury-hit campaign this season, and has started only in five competitive games. Yet, the Arsenal boss seems keen on signing the center-back for his squad, according to a report on Transfer Market Web.

Bender joined Dortmund way back in 2009 and has a contract with them till 2021. However, there have been reports of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain showing interest, and with Arsenal joining the competition, Dortmund might just let him go in exchange for some mega bucks.

Based on recent matches, its quite evident that Arsenal are trying to deploy a strong defensive trio in the backline. Earlier, there were also reports of Wenger eyeing Southampton’s Virgil Van Dijk, who is also an excellent option.

Arsenal will benefit greatly if they manage to sign Sven Bender simply because of his versatility. He can play as a holding midfielder or at centre-half, depending on what the situation requires, and the Gunners are in desperate need of players who are versatile and can fulfill other roles.

It is also interesting how Bender’s current stats did not affect Arsenal’s interest in him, which means that Wenger could possibly have a specific role in mind for the defender. He has been loyal to Dortmund, which is another quality that might appeal to Wenger.

Borussia Dortmund's Sven Bender in action against Bayern Munich in their recent match. (EPA/Bernd Thissen)
Borussia Dortmund’s Sven Bender in action against Bayern Munich in their recent match. (EPA/Bernd Thissen)

However, even if he did not play much this season, special mention needs to go for Bender as he recently picked up the Man of the Match award during Dortmund’s Bundesliga tie against rivals Bayern Munich. In fact, it was probably one of his best performances in a long time, and it makes one wonder how impressive his stats could’ve been, had he remained fit through out the season.

With Santi Cazorla’s Arsenal future in doubt and Granit Xhaka failing to impress enough, Bender will be a good option for the Gunners. Although Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi are Arsenal’s current top centre-backs, Wenger will need more back-up if he is serious about implementing a strong back three.

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