Jerome Boateng was told by Bayern Munich earlier this summer that he could leave the German champions, but despite reports of interest from Manchester United and other high profile teams, no transfer has happened.

Asked about the player’s future in recent days, Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rumenigge replied:

“It’s not yet finally decided. We’ll wait and see what’s going on in the transfer market, and then we’ll discuss with him how we’ll proceed.”

I’m not saying Boateng is a perfect defender, far from it.  The German struggled during his last spell in England with Manchester City, although he did mostly play as a right-back.

He’s also not the most disciplined of centre-backs, but with 72 caps for Germany and a World Cup winner, you have to wonder why the Gunners haven’t even considered him as a potential option.

With Laurent Koscielny unlikely to play for the club again, and Rob Holding unlikely to be fully fit until September, Unai Emery will have Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers and Sokratis to choose from.

When you consider that the team has hardly been watertight during pre-season, fans are justifiably scratching their heads as to why the club have put all their energies into signing a central midfielder, a winger and a left-back.

You may think I’m forgetting to mention William Saliba but that deal will effectively happen next summer due to the loan back agreement that will be put in place.

So why not Boateng? He may turn 31 in September but he is still younger than Sokratis who was signed from Borussia Dortmund last year.

Statistically, he matches up quite well with the Greece international too. According to Wyscout, the German centre-half averaged 4.36 interceptions per 90 minutes compared to Sokratis 4.49 last season

In terms of tackles, the Greek does come out on top with 0.88 tackles per 90, which contrasts with Boateng’s 0.25. However, when it comes to aerial duels, the German wins 76% of his headers compared to the Arsenal defender’s 60%.

When combined, the amount of successful defensive actions per 90 minutes is pretty similar with Sokratis (7.03) just edging Boateng (6.09).

Would he be an ideal long term solution? I don’t think so, but with time running out in the transfer window, and no deal for a centre-back that can play for the club this season on the horizon, Edu and Unai Emery should at least be considering the Bayern Munich star.