Real Sociedad are desperate to lure Arsenal full-back Nacho Monreal to the Anoeta Stadium before the La Liga transfer window shuts down on 2nd September, it has been claimed.
Monreal has been pursued by the La Liga outfit throughout the month of July and Mundo Deportivo have reported that they are close to securing his signature.
And with Emery confirming (h/t Metro) potential talks taking place regarding the player in question, the move looks to be in an advanced stage.
The summer transfer window for the Premier League sides had shut down on 8th August, which implies that they cannot acquire players until the January transfer window opens but the possibility of sales means their players will continue to be linked with exits.
Arsenal signed Scottish international Kieran Tierney from Celtic for a reported transfer fee of £25million earlier in the summer to beef up their ranks.
Although Monreal has started regularly for the Gunners so far this season, he is likely to find limited first-team opportunities after Tierney makes a recovery from his injury and Sead Kolasinac comes back into contention.
Elsewhere, on-loan Theo Hernandez and Kevin Rodrigues shared left-back duties for Real Sociedad last season but the former has joined AC Milan on a permanent deal from Real Madrid.
Besides, Aihen Munoz is still in his learning years and it isn’t really surprising to see the Whites and Blues lining up to make Monreal sign on the dotted line.
Wise move by Emery?
Monreal’s contract with the north London based outfit is due to expire at the end of the ongoing campaign, though the club has an option to extend it for one more year.
The Spanish international has mustered 250 appearances for Arsenal ever since his move from Malaga in the January transfer window of 2013.
Monreal not only has immense experience of the English top-flight under his belt but has also been consistent in his endeavours at Arsenal.
Instead of showing flashes of brilliance, the 33-year-old has been dourly dependable at the back more often than not and his leadership could be an influential element in the young squad Emery is trying to breed.
He is flexible with his positioning as he can operate as a left wing-back or a centre-back and could provide the depth which Arsenal will need this season.
While Sead Kolasinac has been criticized for leaving the backline exposed on many occasions, Tierney is new to Unai Emery’s system and will take some time to fit into the equation.
Monreal, on the other hand, strikes a shrewd accord between his defensive and offensive duties and is also thoroughly accustomed to Arsenal’s style of play.
Therefore, it might not end up being the wisest of moves by Emery to strike Monreal off his books. He brings balance to the squad and is undoubtedly an underrated player in the Premier League.
But the move could see the light of the day owing to a number of reasons other than purely footballing logic with the contractual aspect an important factor.
