Arsenal were heavily linked with a move for Galatasaray defender Sacha Boey over the summer, and a reliable journalist has now delivered an update on the chances of him joining the club in January.
Sacha Boey profiled
Boey is naturally a right-back, who has plied his trade at RAMS Park for the past two years since joining from Rennes back in 2021, and he’s since gone on to become a regular feature of their squad, making 74 appearances to date (Transfermarkt – Boey statistics).
The Frenchman has emerged as Okan Buruk’s second best-performing defensive player so far this season (WhoScored – Galatasaray statistics), and perhaps unsurprisingly given his impressive form since the start of the new campaign, he’s been on the radar for a while at the Emirates.
Over the summer, Edu and Mikel Arteta made contact to discover what the conditions of a deal for the 23-year-old would look like, though a move failed to come to fruition before the previous transfer deadline, with the club instead signing Jurrien Timber. The Gunners, however, were last month claimed to have sent scouts to watch their target live in action as they weigh up another approach ahead of the upcoming window, but if the following update is to be believed, it’s unlikely that a switch will take place.
Fabrizio Romano shares update on Sacha Boey
Writing in his column for CaughtOffside, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Arsenal were never in advanced negotiations for Boey, despite the player himself confirming the interest from the Premier League.
He said: “Another player linked with Arsenal is Galatasaray right-back Sacha Boey, who spoke in an interview recently about the Gunners holding talks to sign him during the summer, though he says they never made an official bid.
"Honestly, though, I’m told Arsenal were never in concrete talks for any fullback as they signed Jurrien Timber as their priority target to cover different positions. So with Boey it was nothing concrete, nothing advanced. Many clubs are following Boey for the future but it’s not something that we can describe as a deal or negotiation yet.”
Arsenal could land bargain in Sacha Boey
In the Super Lig, Boey only currently pockets £9k-per-week (Galatasaray salaries), so he would be a more than affordable option for Edu as that would make him the lowest-earner on his books (Arsenal salaries), therefore making this a no-brainer of a deal to revisit in the near future.
The Montreuil native is currently averaging 2.3 tackles, 1.8 interceptions and 1.6 aerial wins per league game (WhoScored – Boey statistics), highlighting the rock he can be in the backline both on and off the ground, but he’s also capable of getting involved at the opposite end of the pitch.
Aerial duels
Crossing
Dribbling
Concentration
Tackling (Data via WhoScored)
Boey has racked up 13 contributions (seven assists and six goals) in 142 outings since the start of his career which shows that he loves to burst down the flank, take on his marker and create chances for himself and his fellow teammates, so chiefs really should reconsider their decision to not pursue a deal for their target.
