Jonny Evans is in demand. Unflavoured by many of the Arsenal faithful, Wenger has tabled a bid believed to be somewhere in the region of £25million but Manchester City’s interest has certainly added extra spice to the proceedings, according to reports in the Times.
Negotiations with the player and WBA were going well and were said to be at an advanced stage, but City tabled a counter bid which the player and his agent are now considering.
Evans had only to accept terms and pass the medical to become an Arsenal player but for a player of Evans age, the allure of playing for the best club in the Country was something that was obviously too hard to ignore.
Wenger is believed to have called the player personally in an effort to seal the deal and give assurances about his role in the squad but Evans will need more.
Arsenal can’t match City for wages, nor can they provide Champions League football. They are currently languishing in sixth place in the Premiership and are 23 points behind the leaders.
According to BBC Sport, the experienced defender’s family are based in the north-west and his preference would be to remain in the area.
So what, may you ask, will tempt Evans to sign for Arsenal?
The answer is simple, the Captaincy from next season is the only card Arsenal have to offer that Guardiola can’t at present.
Another thing which might go in Arsenal’s favour is the Baggies interest in signing 32-year-old full-back Mathieu Debuchy, who is looking for regular first-team football.
So while Evans ponders the trappings of a high profile move to this year’s Champions or a move to the North London club that is under reconstruction, we await Wenger’s plan B.
Let’s hope Wenger will pull out some big signings this month and avoid the embarrassment of missing out on the Champions League once more!
