With The Gunners smack bang in the middle of a hunt for a brand new centre-back, they’re recently received some good news regarding one of their key transfer targets.
At the moment, Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are Arsenal’s only experienced centre-back options. Whilst they work really well together, The Gunners do need to prepare for the possibility of injury or suspension. Having sent Thomas Vermaelen packing, they’d be foolish not to add another recruit to their back-line.
But let’s get back to that good news. Last week, you may have seen The Gunners get linked to a young Greek defender, Kostas Manolas. The Olympiakos star looks like a good potential third-choice centre-back and, as luck would have it, it looks like he’s available.
Check out these quotes from Olympiakos’ sporting advisor, Christian Karembeu: “In the last few days, interesting proposals have arrived from England. We are not willing to negotiate his sale for less than £8million. If we receive the right offer, we are willing to sell him.” (Source: The Metro)
Are Arsenal one of those clubs to have offered an ‘interesting proposal’? Is Arsene Wenger willing to up his bid to £8m?
This price-tag is unlikely to put The Gunners off. Given some of the commercial deals they’ve sealed in recent years, it’s not like they’re strapped for cash. It’s also worth noting that Wenger has just sold Vermaelen to Barcelona for a considerably larger fee.
Manolas is only 23-years-old, but he’s already beginning to look like a good option. He’s got 13 caps for the Greek international side and is now an established presence in the Olympiacos first team.
He’s tall, he’s stocky and he’s strong in the tackle. In other words, he looks like a player who’s custom built to have an impact in the Premier League. This begs the question: should The Gunners give him a shot?
I certainly hope they do. It’s not like there are a wealth of great options out there.
What’s your take? Should The Gunners try and wrap up this £8m deal? Are there any other players they should consider?
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