Arsenal Monitoring £12m Rated French Defender Ahead Of Possible January Move
The incessant injury troubles of Kieran Gibbs and the inconsistency of his deputy, Nacho Monreal may have forced Arsene Wenger to look in the direction of a younger and more consistent defender as this reports claim. According to Daily Star, 21-year-old Paris Saint Germain left back, Lucas Digne, is being monitored by scouts from Arsenal. The player, though very highly rated, is a back-up left back, deputizing the Brazilian, Maxwell for PSG. The player is reportedly struggling to make it into Laurent Blanc’s first team and that could pose tall task as he would have to displace the vastly experienced Brazilian, to do so. The former Lille player was said to have ignored advances from Manchester United and Liverpool to JOIN
the French Champions, PSG, for a fee of around £12m in 2013. Digne though a left back, is said to also able to play as a left sided midfielder.
the French Champions, PSG, for a fee of around £12m in 2013. Digne though a left back, is said to also able to play as a left sided midfielder.
Now, two facts are established. Firstly, Wenger knew of Kieran Gibb’s injury record and susceptibility and quite gravitates towards bolstering that position with another strong player. Then, it can also be said that since Kieran Gibbs’ rise as number 1, the experiment of getting a more consistent cover for the left back position, has failed to yield the desired results so far. Based on this observed facts, it would make perfect sense for Arsene Wenger to START planning to sign Lucas Digne as a replacement for Nacho Monreal, who is 28-years-old and is on the downward slide in terms of performance. Another way out here would be to sign Digne and keep Monreal as third choice centre back, to cover for either Per Mertesacker or Laurent Koscielny, while Calum Chambers, who could also play as right back, become the fourth choice centre back. That way, Monreal and Chambers would be Arsenal’s versatile defenders, both able to play left and centre for Monreal and right and centre for Chambers, while Hector Bellerin and Lucas Digne would cover for Mathieu Debuchy and Kieran Gibbs respectively.Arsenal’s first choice left back, Kieran Gibbs though has been reported fit, suffered yet another injury and he was substituted in the 2-0 WIN at the Stadium of Light over hosts Sunderland on Saturday. Though it sent some wave of shock the spines of Arsenal supporters, it is barely surprising for a keen watcher and follower of Arsenal as Gibbs has been in and out of the treatment table since his rise to prominence as Arsenal’s number one left back, a situation that hasn’t made him cement a regular spot for England, evident in his exclusion from the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad. Also, Nacho Monreal, Gibbs’ versatile deputy has recently suffered some injury worries and many are supporting the sensible option of getting another left back, especially one that can be versatile enough to play in other positions for Arsenal. Nacho Monreal, though recently has proved to be versatile enough to play as centre back in Laurent Koscielny’s absence, is inconsistent in play and his injury problems has made him not too reliable. Since Gael Clichy’s departure to Manchester City in 2011, it appears manager Arsene Wenger reserved the left back position around Kieran Gibbs and then bought Andre Santos, the Brazilian, to act as cover whenever Gibbs was sidelined through injury. The experiment with Santos didn’t work out as effectively as would have been expected and the Brazilian’s departure saw Nacho Monreal coming in as the second choice left back.
planning to sign Lucas Digne as a replacement for Nacho Monreal, who is 28-years-old and is on the downward slide in terms of performance. Another way out here would be to sign Digne and keep Monreal as third choice centre back, to cover for either Per Mertesacker or Laurent Koscielny, while Calum Chambers, who could also play as right back, become the fourth choice centre back. That way, Monreal and Chambers would be Arsenal’s versatile defenders, both able to play left and centre for Monreal and right and centre for Chambers, while Hector Bellerin and Lucas Digne would cover for Mathieu Debuchy and Kieran Gibbs respectively.Arsenal’s first choice left back, Kieran Gibbs though has been reported fit, suffered yet another injury and he was substituted in the 2-0 WIN at the Stadium of Light over hosts Sunderland on Saturday. Though it sent some wave of shock the spines of Arsenal supporters, it is barely surprising for a keen watcher and follower of Arsenal as Gibbs has been in and out of the treatment table since his rise to prominence as Arsenal’s number one left back, a situation that hasn’t made him cement a regular spot for England, evident in his exclusion from the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad. Also, Nacho Monreal, Gibbs’ versatile deputy has recently suffered some injury worries and many are supporting the sensible option of getting another left back, especially one that can be versatile enough to play in other positions for Arsenal. Nacho Monreal, though recently has proved to be versatile enough to play as centre back in Laurent Koscielny’s absence, is inconsistent in play and his injury problems has made him not too reliable. Since Gael Clichy’s departure to Manchester City in 2011, it appears manager Arsene Wenger reserved the left back position around Kieran Gibbs and then bought Andre Santos, the Brazilian, to act as cover whenever Gibbs was sidelined through injury. The experiment with Santos didn’t work out as effectively as would have been expected and the Brazilian’s departure saw Nacho Monreal coming in as the second choice left back.
If Arsene Wenger is keen on Digne, it shouldn’t be hard for Arsenal to land him for a fee of around £15m, because of the manager’s strong influence in France. However, the thought of coming to Arsenal for a 3rd or 4th choice place at left back may not be attracting to the player and his representatives.
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