Arsenal fans have heard the bad news this week that our chances of completing the transfer of Mats Hummels this summer are about the same as the chances of Tottenham winning the Premier League title, yes it´s that unlikely! But the Gunners have been given a big boost to the hope of signing his central defensive partner at Borussia Dortmund.
Serbian international Neven Subotic has now returned to the starting line-up after a spell on the sidelines with a cruciate ligament injury but has now started the last seven games, helping Jurgen Klopp´s team to climb back up to mid table, conceding just six goals and keeping three clean sheets from those seven games.
Subotic is about to enter the final year of his contract and is aware of the rumoured interest from Arsenal. At 26-years old the defender is coming in to his prime and from the sounds of this ESPN report, he is very keen to test himself in the Premier League. Unlike many players that struggle with the physicality of English football, Subotic would relish it and seems to me like an excellent choice to add more steel to the Arsenal team.
The Dortmund star said, “I can still imagine playing in a league someday which rates physical football,” he said. “The game in England is tougher, more aggressive and more physical — in a sportsmanlike sense. As a centre-back I don’t always want to fear just touching an opponent.
“How can I do my work when my opponent starts crying without contact? And those penalties after dives annoy me, I think that’s cheating. I just don’t like it when an attacker is going at what feels like one kilometre an hour and flies like he’s been hit by a car.”
He also played down questions about his future and said he would deal with that in the summer, but he didn´t commit to his current club and that is quite telling. The problem for Arsenal is if Man United are going to make a serious transfer bid for Hummels as I doubt that Klopp would let both of his best defenders leave. So if Wenger acts fast he might kill two birds with one stone, signing a great defender while scuppering Louis van Gaal´s transfer plans.