Updated: 14 Aug 2026 21:25 BST |
6 min read
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Arsenal are looking to bring in Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah as an injury replacement for William Saliba.
On Friday, FootballTransfers confirmed that the Gunners had begun exploring a move for the England international and revealed that Man Utd had also held talks with the former Liverpool star’s representatives.
Arsenal’s interest appears more serious at this stage as they have a pressing need to add a defender. Saliba required back surgery after exacerbating an existing issue at the World Cup, and he is expected to be sidelined for several months.
With the Gunners looking to defend their Premier League crown and go one better in the Champions League after reaching the final, they can ill-afford to leave Mikel Arteta shorthanded in one of the most vital areas of the pitch.
Arsenal are looking into several options, including Ezri Konsa, but a deal has, to date, proved difficult to pull off due to Aston Villa’s asking price. Getting Quansah may not be much easier, mind, as Leverkusen also do not wish to sell. We understand that there is currently a gulf in valuations.
Quansah is another Ben White
What makes Quansah and Konsa so attractive to Arteta is their versatility. Both players are capable of playing at the heart of the defence and out on the right. In recent years, Arteta has almost exclusively signed multi-positional defenders.
Adding Quansah (or Konsa) would continue this trend, which to some may be worrying because it could make Arsenal predictable (they already are, to some extent), while others will point to the fact that it is an approach that has worked very well so far.
Quansah is a particularly interesting player. While he has primarily played as a centre-back throughout his career, his long-term future may actually lie at right-back – despite the fact that he is very much built like a central defender.
The 23-year-old’s three World Cup appearances all came at right-back, as this was a problem position for Thomas Tuchel. However, the German coach may actually have been on to something by playing him there.
Sky Germany reported earlier this week that the most likely scenario for Quansah, if he stays at Leverkusen, is to be permanently used at right-back this season.
The Bundesliga outfit have signed Marseille centre-back Facundo Medina, who is expected to start alongside either Edmond Tapsoba or Loic Bade at centre-back. And with no right-back predicted to arrive before Deadline Day, this leaves Quansah as the club’s first choice in that position.
At first glance, Quansah does not look or move like a full-back, and it is likely that he would not be used as a traditional right-back were he to remain at Leverkusen. He certainly wouldn’t be the marauding winger-type that Jeremie Frimpong was during his time at the club.
It seems logical that new coach Carles Martinez would give left-back signing Miguel Gutierrez license to get involved in the attack, while Quansah would stay back to form a nominal back three when Leverkusen are in possession.
Why is this relevant to Arsenal? Well, if they end up signing him, they’re essentially bringing in a second Ben White. Currently, there are no credible indications that the 28-year-old will leave this summer, although this could still change, of course.
White also started out as a centre-back before being permanently converted to a right-back. At present, his experience makes him a better option than Quansah, according to data analytics firm SciSports.
The 23-year-old still has significant room to grow – and he previously insisted that he wanted to become the best defender in Europe – but the fact of the matter is that White is currently simply the better option, the occasional bozo moment notwithstanding.
Quansah is therefore in a strange position. While it is understandable that he would want to join the reigning Premier League champions, there is a major question mark over whether he would actually see that much playing time – and this was precisely his reason for leaving Liverpool last year.
If he comes in as a Saliba replacement, he will likely be pushed out of the team again once the Frenchman returns from his injury. If he joins to play right-back, he will have to make do with a backup role to Jurrien Timber when he overcomes his fitness issues.
Arteta has shown that, when everyone is eligible to play, he doesn’t actually rotate his defence all that much. Saliba and Timber were guaranteed starters in both the Champions League and the Premier League last season, when fit.
Quansah’s opportunities would likely be limited to cup games and to appearances as an injury replacement. You don’t become the best defender in Europe if you don’t play!
Of course, Saliba and Timber have had several injury problems in recent years, so it could be argued that there will be ample opportunity to impress. If Quansah is happy to play second fiddle (what would that mean for Cristhian Mosquera or Ben White?), then this move could work.
SciSports believes that the 23-year-old would be a great fit for Arteta’s style of play, the biggest question mark is really just playing time and his overall quality. He has shown that he can perform at a very high level.
Quansah impressed at Liverpool in Jurgen Klopp’s final season, but he failed to convince Arne Slot. His first campaign at Leverkusen was fine but fairly unspectacular – which is maybe what you want from a centre-back.
He wasn’t a standout performer in his position like Luka Vuskovic at Hamburger SV. He occasionally made mistakes – his World Cup outings also showed that he is prone to rash decisions – but in the right system, he could become a world-beater.
His physicality and passing ability are very impressive. It is just a question of whether he can elevate his level from good to great as, for example, Saliba has done in recent years. The jury is still out on that one.
Leverkusen want a significant fee for Quansah – he won’t be a bargain like Mosquera last summer – and this could make this a fairly risky deal. He would probably be a solid performer for Arsenal, but are they comfortable spending potentially north of €60 million on a backup who is, if we’re being cynical, a slightly taller Ben White?
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