Arsenal interested in Yaya Toure?
Now first off the transfer window has only just closed and so it should be a fair while before we even start to consider thinking about transfers again. However the story today that has linked Manchester City’s Yaya Toure with a move to the Gunners, is one that cannot go unnoticed.
Yaya Toure has a long associated history with the Gunners after the midfielder came close to signing for the Arsenal back when he was a youngster on trial. After a trial match in which Toure was described as ‘average’ by Arsene Wenger, Le Prof did still hold an interest in signing him, only for Toure to reportedly grow impatient and instead choose to move elsewhere. Yaya’s brother Kolo of course endured several great years with Arsenal and even featured for the Gunners at last weekends legends match.
Yaya Toure eventually signed for FC Barcelona before he was then later sold to Manchester City by Pep Guardiola. Guardiola, who is now in charge at City has once again shown a level of disinterest in Yaya Toure, leaving the 33 year old out of his Champions League squad for the season. It seems that despite becoming such a pivotal player at the club and in the club’s history, Toure is now surplus to requirements and he is already supposedly thinking about his future elsewhere.
Toure is now in the last year of his contract with Manchester City and it is unlikely he will sign a new deal with the Sky Blues. His agent Dimitri Seluk, has therefore been stirring up some interest and according to Seluk, Arsenal are an interested party!
In a report that is shown on Sky Sports, Seluk is quoted saying: “Yaya in January can sign a pre-contract agreement with clubs abroad. He will have many offers from clubs. China and America of course they want him but we will have a lot of offers from England and Europe. He is in very good shape, very good condition, I think he lost seven kilograms. Maybe that’s not good enough for Guardiola, but then Zlatan Ibrahimovic wasn’t good enough for him (at Barcelona).”
According to SkySports, in the interview his agent also stated how a move to Arsenal or Manchester United would be ‘impossible’, although there is no direct quote linking Toure with either team.
Despite being available on the cheap or for free if he spends the season at City, at 33 years old and on ridiculous wages anticipated to be towards the £200k mark, I find it very unlikely that Arsene Wenger is interested in Yaya Toure. Even if Wenger did show some interest, it totally goes against Arsenal’s principles when it comes to transfers and finances, so based on that I cannot see such a link with Arsenal being true.
On a personal level, I also think a move for Toure would also be wrong because despite the obvious quality the player has, in recent seasons he’s shown to be quite lazy, shown attitude and at 33, his place in the team is only going to stagnate and unrest the development of the other players we already have in midfield. A move for Toure simply wouldn’t be worth it, so despite what his agent may say, I truly hope Arsenal steer clear of Yaya Toure.
By AH