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Arsenal are interested in signing Espanyol centre-back Mario Hermoso this summer, according to Spanish publication AS.

What's the word?

Nurtured in Real Madrid's famous La Fabrica academy, Hermoso left for new pastures in 2017 after seeing his route to first-team minutes blocked as he was shunted to Real's reserve side.

After showing flashes of ability in his first season at Espanyol, the 23-year old enjoyed a breakthrough campaign this term as his 32 La Liga appearances helped the Barcelona outfit earn a commendable seventh-place finish.

The defender's impressive form was rewarded with a call-up to the Spanish national team in November and with a €20m (£17.6m) price tag, Bayern Munich and PSG are also said to be interested in the Madrid native.

Good player, but not the solution

While Hermoso is an excellent player who would likely improve the Gunners' defence, he is not the perfect candidate to fill Arsenal's defensive void.

Since the days of Tony Adams and Sol Campbell, Arsenal have lacked authority in defence. Instead, the club has attempted to compensate for the dearth of physical supremacy through technical ability, choosing elegant defensive options such as Laurent Koscielny.

Koscielny is no doubt an extremely talented centre-back, but has always lacked the physical stature to command a Premier League box and compete in a muscular battle with physically superior strikers such as Troy Deeney and Aleksander Mitrovic.

Hermoso is another defender that fits into the same category as Arsenal's previous purchases. Standing at just over 6 foot and weighing 74kg, the Espanyol centre-back lacks the physical profile that Unai Emery's defence so desperately needs. His main strengths are his passing ability and composure - important traits, but not the traits that are currently missing from the Arsenal defence.

The emerging Espanyol star is a talented defender with an affordable price tag, who could slot into Arsenal's defence and do a satisfactory job. However, the defensive problems in north London will not be solved until the Gunners invest in someone who can physically match the Premier League's most ferocious strikers. Hermoso simply is not that.