Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are among several Premier League clubs interested in Club Atletico Lanus left-back Julio Soler.
One of the highly regarded prospects of South American football, Julio Soler, 19, broke into the Club Atletico Lanus first-team back in the 2022 season and has become a regular for the club in the last 12 months. The Paraguay-born Argentinean youth international has played over 50 times for CA Lanus thus far, registering two assists.
The youngster’s progress at CA Lanus haven’t gone unnoticed, capturing the attention of many European bigwigs, including Liverpool and Manchester City. North London duo Arsenal and Tottenham have reportedly scouted Soler in recent months and could move for him when the transfer window reopens in January. Bournemouth are also keen on the left-back, who featured for Argentina in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Arsenal set to rival Tottenham for Julio Soler
Arsenal and Tottenham both have had plenty of injury problems this season, particularly with the defence being hit.
The Gunners signed Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna in the summer to compete with Oleksandr Zinchenko at left-back. The Italy international has endured an injury-hit debut campaign at the Emirates Stadium, playing just nine Premier League games to date. He returned from injury in the 5-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Zinchenko, meanwhile, has lost his place in the first XI due to muscle injury issues and a lack of consistency, meaning Jurrien Timber has had to largely operate at left-back. However, with Ben White undergoing minor knee surgery in November that has ruled him out for the foreseeable future, Thomas Partey has been used as a makeshift right-back a few times.
This is where bringing in Julio Soler would make sense for Arsenal. The young South American may not walk into Mikel Arteta’s first XI right away but he’d be a promising long-term option and offer strength in depth at left-back when Calafiori and Zinchenko become fully fit.
As for Spurs, they played the last couple of games without a natural left-back. Ben Davies sustained a hamstring injury in the 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth and has been out since, while Destiny Udogie has been not managed to play since being subbed off in the first half against Southampton earlier this month due to muscle fatigue.
As a result, Djed Spence—a right-back by trade—has been operating on the opposite side. While Spence has done well, the Lilywhites would need a long-term replacement for the ageing Davies, who is out of contract at the end of the season. Soler, in that regard, has emerged as a viable target for Tottenham.
At 19, Soler is a raw talent with a lot to learn and develop. He has the qualities to develop into a top left-back, but if Spurs manage to sign him next month, the Argentinean youth international would be deemed as a backup for Udogie.
With admirers for Soler plenty, it will be interesting to see at which club he ends up in January.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
