Over the last few days a rumour has started circulating that I never expected to see. According to The Star (who slap an ‘EXCLUSIVE’ tag on the story), Arsenal are interested in Manchester United defender, Chris Smalling. The paper even go as far as to claim that The Gunners will make a £13m bid for the England international in the summer.
As strange as this may seem, there is some precedent here. In August 2008, The Gunners signed Mikael Silvestre from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee. Unfortunately, his time at The Emirates wasn’t a success. He made 361 appearances for Manchester United, but only made 43 for Arsenal over two season. He was also chided on multiple occasions for his lacklustre displays.
Chris Smalling has already made 119 appearances for Manchester United and he’s just 24-years-old. He’s also got 10 caps for the England international side and could well become a mainstay for the Three Lions.
As well as being a decent defender, Chris Smalling is also highly versatile. Whilst he typically plays as a centre-back, he’s also able to play in the right-back position. This could make him quite a catch for The Gunners, who need another third, or fourth choice centre-back, but may also need a replacement for Bacary Sagna. In that sense, Smalling strikes me as the ideal fit.
Of course, this deal won’t be easy. Manchester United players rarely move to Arsenal. What’s more, United are currently facing their own defensive issues. The Red Devils are likely to lose players like Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra this summer. If that happens, they’re certainly not going to want to lose Smalling.
£13m also seems to be a paltry sum for a player who cost United £11m four years ago. He’s improved since and is a more experienced individual. Given that United will be reluctant to sell to a rival, it’s clear that Arsenal will have to cough up a little more than this.
Still, he would be a good fit for The Gunners. If Arsene Wenger really is interested in Chris Smalling, he may just be able to pull, this shock deal off.
What’s your take? Can Arsenal really tempt Smalling away from Old Trafford?
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