Arsenal are one of the clubs interested in the potential transfer of Galatasaray right-back Sacha Boey this summer, but there are other suitors out there for him as well, according to French football expert Jonathan Johnson.
Writing in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, to be published in full at midday today, Johnson provided some insight into Boey and his development since leaving France for Turkey earlier in his career.
It’s fair to say Johnson rates Boey as a talent, but he’s not yet entirely convinced if a move to a big club like Arsenal would be right for him just at the moment, as it would be a big step up from Galatasaray and the Turkish league.
“Sacha Boey is impressing at Galatasaray and is now understood to be on the radar of clubs like Arsenal, while he’s also increasingly admired by the French national team because they have a bit of an issue with depth in the full-back positions,” Johnson said.
“Boey has really exploded since leaving France and he’s shown he’s a player who could fill that void on the right-hand side for Les Bleus.
“My understanding is Boey is interesting a number of clubs in the Premier League and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him make a move like that at some point sooner rather than later.
“We’ve seen his attacking qualities from full-back, and he puts in a shift defensively too, so it’s easy to see why that kind of profile is appealing to some top sides.
“In terms of Arsenal, I’m perhaps not 100% convinced he’s ready for a move like that just yet, but he has been an unexpected success since leaving France for Turkey – the Premier League is obviously a level up from that, though it’s still not an easy environment to thrive in, but he’s done really well there and he’s definitely being looked at by a number of English clubs, not just Arsenal.”
Arsenal would do well to strengthen their options at right-back, with Ben White filling in out of position there for much of last season and probably better off as a centre-back in the long run.