Ryan Bertrand would be a good signing for Arsenal.
There, I said it.
Cheap Option
With the possibility of no European football, Arsenal’s finances could be impacted by a further £40million in lost revenue. Add in the financial issues COVID19 have created and we do not have lots of money to spend.
Taking that into account, it would be irresponsible to spend big on a back up left back.
Bertrand would be a free transfer and, as long as we do not give him a silly contract, will prove value for money.
Getting in Bertrand for free leaves more money to be spent elsewhere.
No one breaking through the youth team
“If we want cheap, why do we not just promote someone”.
Well there is no one to promote.
There is a reason why Tolaji Bola is still at the club despite being 22-years-old and not yet having played a first game. It is because the youth team has a dearth of full back.
Joel Lopez is highly rated, but is still very much a rough diamond and is not ready for first team football.
What would make the most sense is bringing in Bertrand for 2 years and allowing Lopez to go out on loan next season to get the first team football he needs for development.
Premier League proven
We went for the cheap, senior option in Stephan Lichsteiner and it failed. But he was not Premier League proven and the pace of England compared to Italy proved too much for his ageing legs.
Bertrand is closing in on 500 games in the England – most of which have been in the top flight.
Over recent years he has proved himself to be a solid, consistent Premier League performer.
He is fit as a fiddle
Only 3 players have played more minutes of Premier League football this season for Southampton, so despite being 31-years-old, fitness is clearly not a problem.
Home grown
Arsenal need to keep an eye on the squad quotas for the upcoming season.
As it stands we have 16 non-home-grown senior pro’s; leaving us space for 2 more.
With us likely to lose a few of the fringe youngsters (Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Joe Willock), we need to ensure that “non essential” positions are not taken up by a non-home-grown player.
Bringing in Bertrand as a back up left back rather than looking abroad frees up a space to bring in someone else.
Ryan Bertrand might not be a signing that excites everyone, but he will be quality back-up for Kieran Tierney without breaking the bank.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 
Bertrand would be great, but would he be willing to join knowing that he would be second choice behind Tierney?
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