After distancing themselves from a move to re-sign former captain Cesc Fabregas Arsenal have now emerged as a potential destination for OGC Nice defender Nemanja Pejcinovic. The Serbian centre-back has confirmed that he will be leaving the Ligue 1 side in order to pursue his dream of European football.

Recent quotes from the player suggest that a deal has already been agreed with a club who do play in Europe and some reports suggest that Arsenal are the club.

Squawka take a look at how the defender would fit in at Arsenal should the move go through with the latest of our Squawka Scouting Reports.

Where does he play?

Pejcinovic is a tall centre-back and whilst he can play at left-back it is more of an emergency option rather than a viable option. He has not played at left-back for Nice this season.

The Serbian has been with Nice since 2010 but his quest for European football has seen him leave.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Pejcinovic is a very solid defender, he is strong and very good in the air. He is also, crucially for Arsenal very good on the ball, he makes a lot of passes out from defence rather than clearing it up the field.

He averages 48.20 passes per game this season, more than any of Arsenal’s three centre-backs; Laurent Koscienly, Per Mertesacker and Thomas Vermaelen. He’s played more successful passes per game (42.13) than all but Mertesacker and he has won more tackles per game (2.87) than all three.

He has also won more aerial duels and more interceptions but the main concern for Arsenal should be Pejcinovic’s proneness to lapses in concentration. At times it can appear as if he is having a perfectly good game but then he will make one horrible defensive error to cost his team a goal.

The other worry for Arsenal should be that Pejcinovic played in just 15 Ligue 1 games this season because of injuries. It is also up for debate whether he’ll be able to replicate what form he has shown this season.

How will he fit into Arsenal’s system

At the moment it is extremely hard to imagine that Pejcinovic will be able to displace either of the first choice pairing of Koscienly and Mertesacker. The pair have formed an incredible partnership and realistically Pejcinovic would be a rotation option.

However with Vermaelen’s performances waning this season that may be no bad thing and Pejcinovic would be a very solid bench player to have. He would be capable of playing Arsenal’s passing style of football and he would ensure they remain strong from set-pieces.

Memorable moment

It may not be totally memorable but this is the sort of aerial prowess that Arsenal fans can expect from Pejcinovic.



Stand-out stat

Pejcinovic averages a higher performance score per game (38.67) than Koscielny, Mertesacker and Vermaelen.

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Cost

Pejcinovic’s contract at Nice has expired and he has announced that he will be leaving on a free so he will cost Arsenal nothing.

The final verdict

As a first choice centre-back Arsenal could do a lot better than Pejcinovic but as a back-up player he makes a lot of a sense. He is good in the air and good with the ball at his feet and the fact that he will cost Arsenal nothing is an added bonus.