James Harrison
Arsene Wenger says ‘it’s risky, too risky’ for Arsenal to go through the rest of the season without signing a new centre-back.
At the same time, he knows it is also a risk signing players in the January transfer window.
Reports have claimed Wenger has a £20million kitty for signings this month, a little of which has gone on signing teenage Polish midfielder Krystian Bielik. If that is the size of his kitty, then you can rule out a move for Borussia Dortmund captain Mats Hummels now.
But here are five centre-halves who Wenger could look at signing before the January window closes.
Tyrone Mings
Wenger has already confirmed his interest in the Ipswich defender, who has been likened to Chelsea captain John Terry. At 6ft 4ins, he has physical presence and offers greater mobility than Per Mertesacker. Yet Ipswich don’t want to sell this month, with Mick McCarthy claiming Arsenal haven’t got enough money to a deal now. With Ipswich pushing for promotion to the Premier League and still a decent price in the Championship betting, it would take a lot to persuade them to sell.
Gabriel Paulista
The Villarreal centre-half claims he is aware of negotiations with Arsenal and is keen on a move to the Premier League. He has impressed for Arsenal, but assimilating a player from overseas, straight into the team in such a key position, is always difficult midway through a season. Still, Paulista has impressed for Villarreal and, at 24, has the long-term potential to be a mainstay of the team. A loan departure for Joel Campbell to Villarreal could help to sweeten the deal.
Winston Reid
Reid has been consistently linked with a move to the Emirates. He is out of contract at the end of the season at West Ham, and Sam Allardyce expects the New Zealand international to leave. Spurs are reportedly ready to offer Reid £60,000 a week to join on a free in the summer, but Arsenal want him now. West Ham, though, are said to want £8million and Arsenal will go to £5million. Arsenal’s offer seems fair, but West Ham understandably don’t want to sell when they’re pushing for European qualification. Reid has the credentials to step up a level and may be the lowest risk January deal.
Chris Smalling
Wenger has been a long-term admirer of Smalling since his days at Fulham. He reportedly made an approach for the Manchester United defender last summer and was prepared to go back this month. Louis van Gaal, for his part, isn’t prepared to consider any deal until the end of the season. Smalling certainly polarises opinion and it’s fair to say he hasn’t progressed quite as quickly as would have been expected. Injuries and inconsistency have hampered him this season, and he perhaps lacks the leadership skills Arsenal need. But you can see why he appeals to Wenger and he’s not exactly guaranteed a starting place at United.
Virgil van Dijk
Another centre-half who is happy to hear that Arsenal supposedly want to sign him. Long term he has the scope to be a major success in the Premier League. But stepping into the Arsenal backline midway through the season from Celtic would be something of a baptism of fire. He has shown promise in the Champions League, but Celtic want £10million for a January deal. Van Dijk is hoping Celtic will have a rethink. But it is also one for Wenger to have a long, hard think about.
