There was the breaking news earlier from Sky that Arsenal were getting close to their first signing of the winter transfer window, and now it is finally confirmed from Wenger himself that Konstantinos Mavropanos is to be the latest “one for the future” to join the Gunners from PAS Giannina, who are currently in sixth place in the Greek Superleague. He is obviously very well thought of in his home country and there were rumours that Olympiakos were also interested in signing him if Arsenal hadn’t come in with a good offer,
He is big and strong and has done extremely well considering he has only been in the first team for just over a year and was even named Man Of The Match when Giannina took on AEK Athens this season. After winning that award Mavropanos said: “I am very happy that my effort and performance are rewarded with this prize.
“I waited for the whole year to be given the opportunity. I was handed a chance in the final game and I think my performance was good enough with the help of my team-mates, and the guidance and the instructions they gave me. It was what I expected and maybe more because they helped me settle into the group. Through my team-mates I try to improve myself.”
Surely he can only improve more at Arsenal, and Wenger himself confirmed that he will become a Gunner very soon. The boss said today when asked about whether we were signing Mavropanos: “Yes. But he is not ready to play for us. We will give him out on loan.”
The rumours have suggested he will going to the Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for more training in a better League although it is a fact that the Greek sides are very defence orientated, as we have seen over the years, and it is a good training ground for defenders.
You never know this could be an excellent signing for Arsenal at a very reasonable £1.8m on a long term contract. We know we need a top experienced centre-back right now, but we also need to look to the future…
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Typical Wenger signing in January, so pissed off. Why can’t he just buy quality, experienced players? This ‘one for future’ nonsense has got to stop now because these players rarely make it at arsenal. I’m telling you this boy will be nothing at arsenal as long as Wenger is in control
Good signing for the B or C team. He might get a game in 2019.
Like Bielik and Ryo Miyaichi? Or maybe like Takuma Asano? January buys for Arsenal are simply a waste of time. They never succeed and are eventually loaned out and sold off.
Complete waste of time, money and people’s emotions. Remember Kim Kallstrom? My goodness, the list can go on and on and on….!!
Underwhelmed!
It seems we could be going with Chambers Holding Bielik and now this lad may be taking Biielik’s spot in the academy. With time they could be a good bunch, but everyone else is looking for the fast/vast improvement while we are a very patient club.
I could be wrong and we replace our aging old guard with top notch internationals and are only keeping our bases covered. The thing is, those three mentioned. Unless he sells I don’t see those lads being overlooked.
This Mislintat’s first signing, I’m keeping my fingers crossed on this one.
hope this guy MILSINAT comes good.
Altough we DO HAVE agood academy(iwobi, maitland,bellirin….) A GOOD scouting team BUT we can do better. Chelsea had Salah and Debruyn in their ranks which they wasted though.
What A Stupid Wenger On His Signing He Rather Resign NOW
New signing? One for the future? Complete and utter nonsense. There is only one new immediate signing for the future Arsenal need and that is a manager. O T F Weegor!!!!!
He is very tall and very young, which would be very good for Arsenal and Kroenke’s pocket after two or three years laters. But an article informed that he is not too good with the ball, which means Arsenal would not be able to build the attack from the back with him.
Jesus Christ all this ‘one for the future’ what about here & now?!! We desperately need players now!!!
That is mertesacker replacement I guess, it’s obvious Wenger and his board don’t care f arsenal finishes midtable.
BREAKING NEWS : Manchester City sign Greek defensive starlet.
ARSENAL FANS: Wenger out, all our scouts are hopeless, we couldn’t sniff out this talent before this money bags. Pep is a genius.
Arsenal sign Greek defensive starlet: some of you are throwing your toys out of the pram on the 4th day of January transfer window. Wilshere, Bellerin, Niles, Ramsey, Iwobi, Chambers, Holding, Nketiah, Nelson are all product of youth scouting.
Don’t allow sentiments allow you bash Wenger and the team at every opportunity.
We all know we can’t compete with the spending power of United, City, Chelsea and Liverpool (yes, liverpool). Hence we have to buy smarter and younger and hope they blossom.
Harry Kane has been the best striker in the EPL, and one of the best in the world in the last three years. How much did Spurs pay again? 50M, 80M, 120M? Nope he was scouted as a kid and signed into their academy.
agree ABEL.BUT for the liverpool spending i disagree. we can compete AND we must
FSG are willing to splash more cash on Liverpool than the Arsenal board will allow Wenger to spend.
Harry Kane came from Arsenal and was Afobe’s child hood rival. We are a wast of time and do not care for the youth as much as you think. Ask Nelson who apparently has no intention of signing a contract, probably because of Wengers loyalty to the average 1st team players.
I think it has more to do with Wenger’s insistence on playing him as a defender. People don’t like being forced into things they never dreamed off doing ..like a young attacker being turned into a fullback..we saw how Chamberlain was angry at this. Please Wenger, don’t repeat the same with Reiss Nelson and Iwobi! Even Niles am not sure this guy is a fullback…midfield is where he is supposed to be bench Xhaka!
If true it will be because either Pep or Klopp will have done what foreign coaches do, they stroke egos and make promises to get the best young talent they can, whilst also hitting a rival manager at the same time.
Do you think Nelson is gonna play at city or pool sooner than at Arsenal, no, that’s one thing Wenger does over his counterparts. Also you can never rule out money changing hands under tables, am sure there are more sides to consider, there is still so much the average fan will never get to understand about the game.
Also it could be Nelson trying to force the club into letting him have the first crack at replacing Alexis.
It won’t be because he’s asked to add defensive duties to his wing game, all of them speak with admiration about just being picked and relied upon when a youngster looking for first break. It wont be because Wenger has a loyalty to average senior players when the spot he’s trying to take is Mesut Ozil’s. He’s already taken Walcott’s spot, it’s just our formation has changed, and if he wants to keep TW spot well then he has to do what Walcott couldn’t do …defend!
Abel please remind me of the last genuine world class player ( Kane ) that came from the acedemy
I’ll tell you why I think these type of Signings are needed and very good news for arsenal: we signed basically the best scout in the world, plus other key figures behind the scenes. These type of signings hopefully will be able to grow and develop under a new regime and will form the new spine of the team which the backroom have chosen without wengers old shit ruining them like we have with every signing we’ve made bar sanchez since nasri, fabregas and rvp left.
This team is dead, it’s winning naff all with the transition that will come whenever wenger leaves, face the facts, we need to build a winning team for around 2023-2025 pretty much, we could sign neymar, ronaldo, messi, griezmann, neur, kroos and a top cb, wenger still won’t win major honours with it.
Why does wenger, every january transfer window go for players that he won t immediately use?
Nonsense!!!
Hahaha……yes Wenger does this a lot……..sign one for the future ………
I am going to reserve comment. The new scout is doing his job now, let’s see how good he is . . .