Arsenal Pursue Jarell Quansah from Bayer Leverkusen
Arsenal have opened talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a move for England defender Jarell Quansah, as Mikel Arteta looks to reinforce a back line already stretched before a ball has been kicked.
The 23-year-old has just returned to Leverkusen after an extended break following his first World Cup, where he made three appearances for England. His stock has risen sharply over the past 12 months, and Leverkusen know it.
They do not want to sell. And if Arsenal are serious, they will have to pay.
Leverkusen paid around £30m to take Quansah from his boyhood club Liverpool last summer. After 44 appearances in his debut season in the Bundesliga, plus a seamless adaptation to life in Germany that impressed the hierarchy, the German champions are in a strong position. Four years remain on his contract. Any deal would need a significant premium on that original fee.
Arteta, though, sees a solution to two problems in one player.
Cover for Saliba, competition at right-back
With William Saliba sidelined, Arsenal are short at centre-back. The issues do not stop there. Right-back remains a sore point.
Jurrien Timber is still working his way back from the groin problem that has ruined most of his 2024, and Ben White’s fitness record offers little comfort in a season that will again demand close to 60 games. The cracks were exposed on the biggest stage: Cristhian Mosquera was forced to start the Champions League final in Budapest out of position at right-back and conceded a penalty.
That night still lingers in the background of Arsenal’s planning.
Ezri Konsa has also been on the radar, but Aston Villa’s valuation of a 28-year-old has made negotiations difficult. Quansah, five years younger and already an England international, shapes up as a more attractive long-term investment who can plug gaps now and grow into the role.
A centre-back by trade, Quansah operated on the right of a back three for Leverkusen last season. That hybrid role caught the eye of England boss Thomas Tuchel, who took him to the World Cup as one of his right-back options – ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold. That selection alone tells you how highly he is rated.
The data backs it up. Quansah’s pass maps for Leverkusen show him frequently stepping into the zones a traditional right-back would occupy, comfortable pushing wide, building play and defending the channel. For Arsenal, that versatility is gold dust.
Once Saliba returns to full fitness to resume his partnership with Gabriel at the heart of defence, Quansah would not be squeezed out. He would simply be fighting for a different shirt.
Fitting into Arteta’s demanding full-back role
Right-back at Arsenal is not a simple touchline job. Under Arteta, the full-backs are asked to invert, step into midfield and even arrive in central attacking pockets. Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori, in particular, are often seen drifting inside until they resemble auxiliary midfielders or even hybrid centre-forwards.
Quansah is not that profile. He is more defender than playmaker. But Arteta has already shown he can bend his system to suit a more conservative full-back. Piero Hincapie, another who came through Leverkusen, has been used in a more defensive role, offering stability rather than constant inversion.
Quansah could follow a similar path: a right-sided defender who locks down his flank, covers the channel, and offers enough on the ball to keep Arsenal’s build-up smooth without needing to be the main creative outlet.
For a squad that must navigate a heavy early schedule, that kind of reliability is priceless.
Arsenal’s early-season test
The fixture list underlines the urgency. Arsenal open against Manchester City in the Community Shield on August 16 in Cardiff, a sharp test of their defensive depth. Then the Premier League starts to bite:
- August 21: Coventry (H), Premier League, 8pm
- August 31: Aston Villa (A), Premier League, 8pm
- September 6: Chelsea (H), Premier League, 4.30pm
- September 12: Sunderland (A), Premier League, 8pm
City at Wembley, Villa away, Chelsea at home – all before mid-September. All against sides that can punish any weakness on the flanks or in the heart of defence.
Arsenal know what they need: a defender who can start at centre-back in August and still be pushing hard for minutes at right-back when the squad is fully fit. Quansah fits that brief.
Now the question is simple, and brutal in its clarity: how much are Arsenal willing to pay to find out if he can be the missing piece?
