Should Arsenal go all out for Jonny Evans in January? He’s available!

Looking at Arsenal’s goals-against figures this season (25 in 20 games) there is little surprise that Arsene Wenger was very keen on buying a strong Premier League proven centre-back in the summer transfer window, and now that Virgil van Dijk has gone to Liverpool there are not many more available in the winter window.

Arsenal were very heavily linked with the West Brom defender Jonny Evans but the Baggies refused to sell at any price. The new West Brom manager Alan Pardew though has revealed that he will be prepared to sell if he can use the funds to bring in a new striker that is urgently needed.

“I have to keep one eye all throughout January in the goals for column, because I have got to get that to change somehow,” he said. “I have got to get goals on the board, or you cant win games otherwise.

“I am conscious that if there are no funds available I might have to move something around.

“I have always thought that you would be slightly naive in your job if you didn’t try to cover all the bases.

“So there is a scenario that Jonny Evans might move. For sure I have looked at that. There is a scenario that Jonny doesn’t move. There is a scenario someone else moves.

“And with (technical director) Nicky Hammond, someone I know well and who is brilliant at his job, I am pretty sure we have it all covered. If we do some business in January we will be doing it for the right reasons.”

Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk was reportedly sold to Liverpool for an amazing £75m this window, so how much does that make Jonny Evans worth? Pardew was not very clear on that. “That is a difficult one,” he said. “It sometimes come down to contract length, the safeguards you have on someone’s contract etc.

“But we’ve seen astonishing figures for defenders all through since the start of the season, really. “If I look at defenders and compare Jonny with central defenders in the Premier League, he is right up there.”

Arsenal apparently made a £25million deadline day bid for Evans, but Pardew admitted that he had not heard of any new bids ahead of January yet, but he is expecting some action as the month progresses. “We are not getting any noise to the technical director or myself directly,” he said. “There is noise in the media.

“Sometimes the noise in the media has some clarity to it, we all know that. Sometimes it doesn’t.

“We will be the last to know, probably. I’m pretty confident he will play this game and the West Ham game. After that, let’s wait and see.”

We have already seen injuries to Monreal, Koscielny and Mustafi as well and Wenger gave Calum Chambers a run this week and Holding is also waiting in the wings, but are they even good enough? I think it is definitely a fact that Arsenal need another top centre-back, so should Wenger make a move for Evans as quick as possible so we can stop leaking silly goals?

One interesting fact to leave you with; depite West Brom being second bottom of the League, they have only conceded TWO more goals than Arsenal!

Admin

14 Comments

  1. No, because Evans will be 30 years old in January 3rd and Arsenal need to rejuvenate their squad. Even Van Dijk cannot help if Arsenal still defend like that as a team. Better get Jose Gimenez from Atletico Madrid.

    1. We’re going to waste time and money on a CB when we should be looking for a top class DM.If Wenger think signing another CB is solving our problems then he’s lying to himself.Mark my words any other CB we sign no matter how good will still come and add to a shaky defense.The problem with our defenfing is more of tactical and mental.Tactical because we play without a DM,we mark and track players poorly,the fullbacks are usually isolated leaving them to cope alone,our passing is not good enough leaving us exposed to counters which we aren’t prepared for and no leadership and maintenance of defensive shape.
      Mental because most of our players are as usual mentally weak and lack that winning mentality.They seem to crack under slight pressure.

      1. I agree wholeheartedly. Arsene Wenger has never properly replaced Gilberto as a DM.
        Why can’t Arsene Wenger and Steve Bould (if he is allowed to!) coach and train our existing defense, made up mostly of international players to defend?

  2. We have world class goal keepers available everywhere, yet we are stuck with one who has let in 25 goals in 20 games. Jesus…

  3. arsenal team doesnt play to defend.

    if it was another coach like simeone you would be surprised how good the likes of chambers,mustaphi,kos would be.

    what we need is a good defensive midfielder and replacements for sanchez and ozil if they go.

    william carvalho/seri/idrissa gueye for DM
    mahrez for sanchez

    1. Thank you for saying what is obvious.The team’s defending problems is more of tactial than the personnel.I’d be mad if Wenger got another CB because we’ll be getting the same outcome due to his poor tactics.Give Mustafi,Koscielny and Chambers to Simeone and see how they play.We need most important ly a DM and not a CM.Our CM’s wil play better and I feel with proper motivation and mangement are good enough.What we lack is a DM who can drive with the ball and get himself out of trouble.

  4. we do not have a good experiecne with old utd. players ??
    chambers and debuchy are available to us and holding as well

  5. No better than what we got and also 30 years old already – no thanks!

    We need a top defender but also with leadership qualities as well as tough?

    Where is he???

    This is not the answer but I though Holding showed something against West Ham (Carabao cup) when Carrol came on….he got really physical in the first couple of challenges and after that Carrol was quiet? Didnt think Holding and certainly no other Gunners had that and loved it!!!!

  6. Yes he’s turning 30 but statsDNA has proved he will last 8.7 months longer in football than the average defender

    Thank you statsdna …u like the Titanic …were a worthy investment

  7. It does not matter who we sign so long as the dinosaur is tactically setting up the team. He has made even good defenders look bad.

  8. No way. We need a world class CB asap , so annoying that VVD went to crab team like Liverpool who are no much stronger at the back with that signing. Signing Jonny Evans would be similar to having Silvestre, Djourou and Cygan rolled in one.

    Rabiot from PSG or Koulibaly from Napoli or any other younger highly rated CB across the world, that’s why we have scouts. It’s so disgusting to see us miss out on top important signings.
    Mertesacker is retired next season,

    Kos & Mustafi are decent. But only 2 quality defenders in a whole team is poor. Very poor.

    Chambers & Holding are not close to been world class CBs anytime soon.

    Monreal is 30+

  9. Take what is obvious to the rest of the world (i.e. a defensive midfielder and replacements for Ozil and Sanchez) then do the exact opposite and buy (at an over inflated price of course) a central defender.
    I give you Arsene Wenger who will go against the grain of common sense because he can and who does not need to worry about whether he is wrong or the cost of that mistake because he could commit murder and still have a job…

  10. Liverpool get Van Dijk and we get Johnny Evans lol

    Actually im glad we didn’t pay £75 million for a defender. Thats quite foolish innit

    As foolish as Wenger refusing to sign Van Dijk for a fraction of the sum when he was at Celtic

Comments are closed

Top Blog Sponsors