West Brom are in talks over a move for Arsenal’s 27-year-old right-back Carl Jenkinson, according to Sky Sports journalist Rob Dorsett.
Dorsett made the claim on his personal Twitter account on Wednesday and added that Jenkinson is keen on a move and wants more first-team football.
Jenkinson was limited to just eight games for Arsenal last season, although seven of those were starts and he played at left-back, right-back and in the centre of defence.
#wbafc in talks with #afc over Carl Jenkinson, I understand. He played only 8 games for Arsenal last season, and is keen on a move for more first team football.
— Rob Dorsett (@RobDorsettSky) June 19, 2019
Good move for West Brom?
It’s never worked out for Jenkinson at Arsenal since he joined in a £1million deal from Charlton eight years ago. He’s never made more than 14 league appearances for the Gunners in a single season and found most success at West Ham on an 18-month loan where he made 32 appearances in the 14/15 season. Since then it’s been downhill and he suffered a shoulder injury early on in his loan to Birmingham in the 17/18 season that limited him to just nine appearances. He stayed at Arsenal last season and played just eight times. Incredibly, Jenkinson has made a single appearance for England back in 2012 but the 4-2 defeat to Sweden didn’t cover him in glory and he wasn’t seen in an England shirt again after. West Brom need a right-back though, with just 36-year-old Tyrone Mears recognized in that position – and he’s out of contract in the summer. Allan Nyom has gone back to CD Leganes after his season-long loan. With no recent form to call on it will be a gamble but one that could be worth taking depending on the terms of the deal.
This is Futbol rating: 5/10
Likely to happen?
He’s out of contract this summer so he’d be available on a free transfer but his wages could be an issue. He’s on a staggering £45,000-a-week at the Emirates and unless he can find a Premier League club who want to take a gamble on him, he’s going to have to be prepared to take a pretty significant wage cut. West Brom technical director Luke Dowling admitted earlier this summer that the club couldn’t afford to bring Dwight Gayle back for another season, saying “Dwight’s contract is a Premier League contract and we will pay Premier League contracts, but we’ll only do that once we’re back in the Premier League.” Gayle was a standout player for West Brom and is on a reported £40k-a-week at Newcastle. If they can’t afford Gayle, they won’t be paying Jenkinson anywhere near £40k-a-week. However, a Championship club could be his best bet at this stage of his career.
This is Futbol rating: 6/10