Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been left reeling with the news that German international stalwart Per Mertesacker will be out injured for the foreseeable future and will certainly miss the open weeks of the season.
Even before the injury you could make a good case for Arsenal needing another centre back, with Shkodran Mustafa linked this week.
But reports over the weekend suggest an unorthodox bid from Arsenal. The Sunday Mirror states:
Arsenal plan shock Jonny Evans move as Arsene Wenger attempts to plug hole with £15million defender
The 28-year-old defender was meant for great things at Manchester United. A two-footed player and elegant passer of the ball, he looked like the real deal in his early career.
But his career was stymied by niggling injuries and he also made some high-profile mistakes which perhaps drained the confidence of the player and his managers.
He left Manchester United for West Brom last season showed his quality and fitness with 34 games and a solitary goal for good measure.
He isn’t an elite defender, for TFF, but perhaps this isn’t such a crazy move after all.
Evans is potentially gettable, steady and has loads of Premier League experience as well as 54 caps for his country.
But we still like to see Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger push the boat out this summer and attempt to bring in a really top centre back and top striker to see if they can finally push for serious silverware after so many seasons of stagnation – if largely entertaining stagnation.
Arsenal supporters: a bad idea or a decent potential signing?