Arsenal's summer transfer window has been a busy one, to say the least.
Mikel Arteta's men have splashed in excess of £80million on four first-team players, bringing in Brazilian frontman Gabriel Jesus, talented playmaker Fabio Vieira, experienced goalkeeper Matt Turner and young winger Marquinhos. football.london understands that the Gunners are also keen to bolster the left side of their defence, providing they can also offload a number of fringe players from their squad.
Manchester City's star Oleksandr Zinchenko has been mooted as a potential target and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has now reported that both Zinchenko and Anderlecht defender Sergio Gomez are on the north London club's shortlist. But who is Gomez and what would he bring to the Emirates Stadium if he was to join?
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football.london takes a closer look.
Who is Sergio Gomez?
Aged just 21, Gomez is a talented fullback born in Badalona, Spain.
He is a diminutive player, standing at just 5ft 7ins, currently plying his trade with Belgian outfit Anderlecht. The youngster previously donned the yellow shirt of Borussia Dortmund before leaving for Brussels last year.
What would he bring to Arsenal?
It is no secret that Arsenal boss Arteta is keen to bring in a left-back that can invert and operate in a similar zone to a central midfielder when his side are in possession. Both Zinchenko and Gomez fit this profile, with the latter frequently deployed in the middle of the park as a teenager.
Gomez is technically secure and can certainly tuck into midfield to help the likes of Martin Odegaard or Emile Smith Rowe roam further forward but the Spaniard can also operate as an orthodox wing-back, bombing down the left flank. In fact, the 21-year-old is a huge threat in the final third, netting five goals and providing a further 11 assists in 35 league outings last season.
The former Dortmund man established himself during a two-year loan stint with Spanish outfit Huesca, helping them to promotion from the second division to La Liga during the 2019/20 campaign. The following season he showcased his sky-high potential, establishing himself as one of La Liga's most promising fullbacks.
He averaged 1.7 key passes, 3.07 passes into the final third and 3.41 progressive passes per 90 minutes, as per fbref. For comparison, current Arsenal backup left-back Nuno Tavares averaged 0.69, 1.98 and 2.14 in those respective categories last term.
What has been said?
If Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc is to be believed, Gomez has always had the potential to develop into one of Europe's best fullbacks. Speaking back in 2018, Zorc said: "Sergio Gomez is undoubtedly one of the best players of his age in the world.
"We've been interested in him for some time and are happy that he has decided to join Borussia Dortmund despite offers from many top European clubs." Anderlecht boss Vincent Kompany has also made it no secret of his admiration for the young defender, heaping back on Gomez's ability to bounce back from mistakes.
Speaking in January, Kompany said: "Sergio Gomez, in particular, experienced the first difficult moment of his Anderlecht period. Yes, it was a mistake that had consequences.
"But that's part of the life of a football player. We're talking about a championship match.
"It could have happened in the semi-finals of the World Cup. Sergio has the necessary mentality to improve after such a mistake.
"He is not here only for his talent, he also convinced us with his mental abilities. It will only be a step in his apprenticeship."
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