Arsenal are one of the sides in the fight to finish inside the top-four places this season. The North London outfit are currently placed at the 6th spot in the standings, having churned out 42 points from 24 games and are 5 points behind 4th placed Liverpool. It would certainly not be easy for them to garner a Champions League spot for themselves.
Arsene Wenger has had a quiet January transfer window so far, in terms of actual deals completed, having brought Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Manchester United in a straight swap deal which saw Chilean international, Alexis Sanchez, leave for the Old Trafford. One of the areas they really need to address is their backline. Arsenal are in dire need of bagging a defender to fix their defensive woes with a number of their first team stars showing worrying inconsistency this season.
West Bromwich Albion centre-back, Jonny Evans, has been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium every day so far this month. Apart from the Gunners, Manchester City were also understood to be desirous to make him sign on the dotted line. However, Alan Pardew is reluctant to let Evans leave the Hawthorns this month and thus, the defender’s price has rocketed.
Given that the Baggies are in no hurry to sell Evans as his contract expires in the summer of 2019, they are inclined towards making the most out of Arsenal’s need for a defender. This has turned the tables in favour of Pardew’s camp, and as per one of the latest reports, Albion have now slapped a price tag of £27million, which is quite steep considering that he is a 30-year-old.
West Bromwich Albion have kept Arsenal’s bid of £25million at bay but given the qualities Evans has showcased in the Premier League and the financial muscle they have, Arsenal must loosen the shackles. Evans is a calm and composed defender who is comfortable on the ball and takes shrewd decisions at the back. Besides, he has a wealth of Premier League experience under his belt and reads the game very well.
So far this season, he has made 21 appearances in the top flight and has garnered 1.1 tackles, 1.8 interceptions, 4 clearances and 0.5 blocks per game on an average. Further, he has also scored 2 goals and notched up an assist to his name and has been one of the silver linings of the season for the Throstles. A defender like the Northern Ireland international is the call of the hour at Arsenal to partner Laurent Koscielny at the heart of their defence.
Per Mertesacker is well past his prime and Shkodran Mustafi’s career at Arsenal hasn’t fared very well after his move from Valencia. Besides, the likes of Rob Holding and Calum Chambers still have a lot to learn, which makes the need of a centre-back so important.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored