It’s pretty clear that Manchester United and Arsenal could do with some defensive reinforcements in January. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that David Luiz wasn’t the answer to Arsenal’s defensive issues, while Victor Lindelof still needs to work on his partnership with Harry Maguire.
Dean Jones of Bleacher Report recently reported that both clubs had sent representatives to watch tonight’s game between Turkey and Iceland. They suggest the reason for their trip is to watch Juventus defender Merih Demiral as he could be on the move in January.
Merih Demiral will be watched by Arsenal and Man Utd scouts when Turkey host Iceland on Thurs.
There's a growing chance of him leaving Juventus in Jan.— Dean Jones (@DeanJonesBR) November 13, 2019
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He’s not been playing a lot for Juve, so watching him for his country is the main way to see him in action right now.
He’s been impressive so far tonight, and produced this heroic goal-line clearance which should impress those visiting scouts:
Merih Demiral to the rescue!
That header off the line pretty much took Turkey to Euro 2020
What a defender. Absolute beast ? pic.twitter.com/7cWqlpCPNC
— Turkish Football (@Turkish_Futbol1) November 14, 2019
Jones suggests Juventus look likely to offload him. He’s only 21 so would absolutely fit into the profile of signing made by Man United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The youngster might have a better chance of playing straight away for Arsenal, but a lot could depend on the struggling Unai Emery keeping his job beyond Christmas.
It will be interesting to see where he ends up in January.