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Should Arsenal be Preparing for Life Without Nacho Monreal?
By Josh Sippie
Reports have surfaced that Arsenal blocked a summer move from Athletic Bilbao for Nacho Monreal. The left back as assumed first team duties in the wake of Kieran Gibbs doing whatever it is he did that was so wrong. Monreal spoke out about his dedication, saying “I have one more year on my contract and I would like to stay at Arsenal. I am very lucky to play for Arsenal, and am very happy to play for Arsenal,” (via IBT).
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He went on to add that he would like to extend his stay at Arsenal if a contract can be worked out.
All that being said, it has been pretty widely accepted that Monreal, like countryman Santi Cazorla, would like to return to Spain at some point. Monreal is now hitting the peak of his value. He was never destined for much at Arsenal but, now 29 years old, he has reached the pinnacle of his usefulness.
Monreal has always been very consistent for Arsenal. He was never going to wow anyone’s socks off, but he was going to play solid defense and get forward from time to time. He capitalized on Gibbs’ consistent injuries and took the starting role for himself.
But with consistent reports that a return to Spain is in the making, should Arsene Wenger be preparing Arsenal for life without the left back?
Wenger has a habit of waiting until a guy leaves to start thinking about finding a replacement. If he finds a replacement at all. One thing is certain, Arsenal need a replacement. Kieran Gibbs is a fantastic left back but his injuries have hampered his consistency and progress. Arsenal need an option to fill-in in the inevitable case that Gibbs’ gets hurt.
This summer looked like prime time to scoop up a good left back for the future. Layvin Kurzawa made the move from Monaco to PSG. He would have been absolutely sublime opposite Hector Bellerin. But that dream is crushed.
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Faouzi Ghoulam was another solid option. He was painfully available for a very low price (around £7-9 million). Yet he remained at Napoli. Ghoulam oozes consistency as well. At 24, he has a long future ahead of him.
Again though, we see that loyalty takes precedence. Arsene Wenger is going to fight tooth and nail to retain every player he has long before he signs an outsider. The same is true here. He is going to wait until there is absolutely no chance of re-signing Kieran Gibbs before he makes even the slightest attempt to sign another left back.
If Arsenal can retain Nacho Monreal, great. That is fantastic news. But some credible sources out there indicate that this is a questionable proposition. There are not an overabundance of fullbacks out there and Arsenal do not have many options already in the squad. We may find ourselves in a dicey situation again relatively soon. So we have that to look forward to.
Next: What can we expect out of Rosicky?