New signing to be fast-tracked into Arsenal XI?

New signing Konstantinos Mavropanos joined Arsenal this month as a youngster with potential, but is now touted to be thrust into the first-team squad.

The 20 year-old joined from Greek side PAS Giannina last week in a reported £2 Million deal, and was expected to be sent straight out on loan following Arsene Wenger’s comments on his unveiling, but the Frenchman has since changed his thoughts.

The young centre-back has impressed so much in his opening training sessions that Wenger is now keen to keep him with the squad, and even claims the new signing will play a part in the current campaign.

This could well be a huge positive for new Arsenal Head of Recruitment Sven Mislintat, whose first signing has already outdone Arsene Wenger’s expectations after only one day with the youngster.

The former Borussia Dortmund Head Scout is known for his part in bringing previously unknown players to the German club prior to them becoming regular household names, including the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and he may have already unearthed a gem who could go on to play at the top level for years to come.

“I personally want to keep him until May, to know him better, to assess his level,” said Wenger, who named the defender on the bench against Chelsea on Wednesday night.

“The first signs he has shown in training are so encouraging that I decided to keep him until May.”

With constant injury and fitness problems with Shkodran Mustafi, Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny, inexperienced duo Rob Holding and Calum Chambers have been called upon to play in first-team roles, but neither have been overwhelmingly impressive, and we could well see Mavropanos make his debut in the near future.

Does Mislintat’s arrival give more hope to our future than has been said thus far? Could Mavropanos overhaul Holding and Chambers in the pecking order this term?

Pat J

Tags Arsenal Mavropanos Mislintat

30 Comments

  1. Must be quality then.
    Who is he?
    He might be a good player, even a great player but Arsenal need top players not another “prodigious talent”
    We have seen dozens of “prodigious talents” disappear into the black hole that is the Arsenal development system never to be seen again – except flipping burgers at Ronnie McD’s at Islington.
    Sorry but I am not all that excited by this development and the fact that the manager had no input in his purchase makes me believe he will play no role at all.
    Come too think of it – the same happened with Vieira’s signing whilst Rioch was still employed (albeit for a week or two before being fired and Wenger ushered in) – who knows….

    1. Problem is, Wenger does not trust few players, and they dont get games. Happened with Jack in the past, happened with Theo/Coq this year. Now we are out of FA cup. Where do you think Theo will feature except few Europa League games? This distrust diminishes player confidence, and it shows on the pitch. Theo doesnt play for Arsenal anymore, he plays for the salary. Reducing the overhead to free up the salary, and get some fees in to recruit young dynamic prospects, I see we going a Monaco way with all the scouting department changes we did. Rebuilding is coming, and I can see we buying lots of youngsters, not world class players as replacement. So time to become slick and cut down non-performing players first. The sooner Wenger realize he has to step aside, and let a full rebuild happen, the better. Should have happened 1-2 years back, at least. And expect 2-3 years of mediocrity, missing out on Top-4 Trophy.

  2. Could well be. Below that main headline could also read ‘due to the mismanagement of the squad by Arsene Wenger’.

    Mertesacker-can’t be trusted. Shouldn’t of had his contract renewed a year ago.
    Holding & Chambers-both relatively inexperienced, and poorly utilised/managed within the team.
    Koscielny-a fading talent that is on the way out.
    Gabriel-sold last summer despite having a lack of defenders. Wasn’t reliable anyway.

  3. Hope he is a good player but can’t trust anything wenger says on face value. This is just his way of selling to the fans that he was quick in the January window.

  4. I’m sure Bielik is as good as Mavropanos if not better.He’s one who will definitely make it.He and Ben Sheaf are rock solid.Injuries just disturb them.
    JUST IN:This should put an end to the whole Lemar saga.Liverpool have put in a bid worth £70m for Lemar.Monaco want £75m but £70m is likely to be accepted.
    One possible stumbling block is if Lemar wants to join.It’s all up to him.He’s clearly not what we need and massively overrated.Bernardo Silva was just as good and I don’t rate him much either.If it were potential we were going for then there’s better,younger and cheaper.

    1. If and I say If this is true it shows arsenal and wenger to be total BS and all the 90m bid was just feeding the fans

    2. I really doubt wenger was really in for Lemar and Mbappe he was just used to send a price up since he is a former Monaco coach himself! thats my opinion

  5. Mislintat hardly ‘found’ Mkhitaryan, he was crushing it in Ukraine and scored more than any other midfielder in Europe that season.

    Auba was also the top scorer in Ligue 1.

    However, Lewa, Kagawa, Hummels and Dembele (before anyone else) were real coups.

    Meant no disrespect for the man himself, I think highly of Mislintat.

  6. To early to say only after a few training sessions, but hand picked by our new guy Sven so will be interesting to see how he devolopes. Off topic… 71 mill release clause for Coquelin, Valencia obviously value him more than the paltry 10 mill we sold him for, so that’s Gabriel for 10 mill, Coq for 10 mill and we get charged 35 mill for Mustaphi, we definitely get the bum deals in the transfer market.

    1. Whoever is responsible for the contract and clauses role is simply a flop!!
      it’s not just beginning this season.
      We sell our players for peanuts always. while we get ripped off!!
      Bellerin’s clause should be 60millz upwards, I don’t care what anyone says.
      Giroud should be 40millz, he’s a good striker but I’m sure we’ll sell him for less than 20mills,
      Mustafi should be 45 upwards…
      Sanchez 75 upwards.
      Ozil 65 upwards.
      Iwobi 30millz.
      and a few others.
      But Arsenal’s transfer sorting are always soo pooooor.
      pathetic when you see how much other club value their players

  7. I don’t know what you guys have against Iwobi but other than Wilshere, he was better than the rest of our midfielders…
    Give the boy a break!!!
    if the run he made in the 2nd half, if he had scored with it you guys would have a different tone.
    Iwobi had a nice game against Chelsea.
    you guys should stop being sentimental always

    1. If he had scored! That’s rather the point, he didn’t score and doesn’t look like scoring when he plays…..

  8. For me this kid is defo one for the future.. at the moment we are a injury prone one dimensional team that is led by Wenger and all the grandads on the board.. Wenger is constantly playing players out of position and he clearly doesn’t know his best 11 is.. let’s be honest here.. we not gonna win the league.. I doubt we will even get top 4 this season.. we out of the f.a cup which was embarraing by the way!! So we now have a winner takes all 2nd leg against Chelsea and last 32 of Europa league.. I don’t know about u boys but surely we have got to go full strength in the Europa and rotate in the league.. try qualify for champions league by winning the Europa league just like utd did last season.. but to win it we need reinforcements but the club is being run like a group of old pensioners with old school values and overcomplicated economics that no one cares about apart from them!! It really is a shambles from top to bottom.. we need a over haul in every department.. if Wenger goes the board has to go.. the only way the board go is someone to buy them out.. oh hang on a minute don’t we have a billion pound investor on board?? Yes we do he owns 30% stake in arsenal but yet he is not aloud in to kronke gazidis and Wenger little party!! Why is that does anyone actually know the reason?

    USAMOV is our only hope.. please make kroneke an offer he can’t refuse.. people that go to the games if u read this how about putting banners up asking for usamov to buy kroneke out!! All I know is that money talks whether that’s buying a football club or paying over the top in the transfer market..

    GOONER4LIFE

  9. Young dumb and broke
    is a current song by Khalid
    Young done and cheap could be
    the new hot transfer song for Arsenal.
    Mavropanosis is the quintessential example of young cheap and done.
    His retention is a powerful indicator of what we should
    expect at Arsenal for the foreseeable future.
    This has come about because Arsenal has allowed a glut of injured,
    old, low value and players who can go on a free build up at the club.
    With the manager leaving soon the club is intent on a new way of doing things.
    What we see is the new scouts having a lot more say.
    Arsenal is clearing out but not getting much at the fire sale
    so cheap replacements are being sought.
    Mertz cost 12m retiring free.
    Koz cost 12m retiring (Archilles) free.
    Cazorla cost 16m has retired (Archilles) free.
    Sanchez 25m Let go cheap to avoid going on a free in July.
    Debuchy cost 16m now worthless.
    Gabriel cost 16m sold for 9m compare (Evans 27m)
    Monreal cost 10m worth 4m?
    Perez cost 16 m now worth 7m?
    Jenkinson (injury pone) worth 5m?
    Gibbs 10 years at club English international was sold for 7m.
    Coquelin 12m.
    Wellbeck cost 16m now worth?
    Wallcot cost 12m on huge salary. To be off loaded for?
    Ozil cost 42m can go on a free in summer sell now for?
    Xhaka 30m Lacazette 55m Mustafi 30m. Chambers 16m. Paid well over the odds.
    Wellbeck 16m expensive quota bench sitter. Kolasinac 120k p/w.
    How to clean up the mess and move forward?
    The plan apparently is.
    1. Promote free academy players.
    Niles Nelson McGuane Willock Nketiah.
    2. Buy cheap youngsters.
    Nwakali 3m Adelaide 2m Holding 2m Bielik 2m.
    And now Mavropanos at 2m is already seem as “ideal”.
    3m is the new 30m at Arsenal not for us the mad market.
    But to placate the fans the odd marquee player like
    Lacazette but only if Chamberlain is sold for 40m
    or Malcom but only if Sanchez goes for 30m.
    The Arsenal song of the future. Young smart and cheap 🙂
    Stan will be laughing all the way to the bank
    and singing 24 magic I’m a dangerous man with money in my pocket#1
    #1 Bruno Mars.. 🙂

    1. You are so right. I think this is the way kroenke will keep raking in profits. Now what this does to the value of the club, I don’t know and whether that will dictate actions is anybody’s guess.

    2. You’re right and it is madness that so many fans are happy with us becoming like Everton and having no ambition apart from the odd cup.

  10. Are the current events happening according to a plan “deliberate” or are we as fans just witnessing the fall of our former great club into shreds?

    Impressed or just looking for an excuse? He has missmanaged the team and found himself now short in players big time therefore the young lad turned over night into a top top top player

  11. Why are people saying le coq fee was low? The guy hardly plays and when he does he is shit, 12m is a fair price to be honest. Just ask yourself if you will be happy if arsenal signed him now for more than 12m.

  12. Its funny how some fans write off players they don’t know. Mahrez and kante were relatively unknown before they came to leceister, the rest is history.
    Just a little heads up. Mavropanos is a beast. Probably in the class of mustaphi.. I am happy we got him. It’s a steal for 2 m.

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