Arsenal: Jonny Evans Is No Shkodran Mustafi

Arsenal will always look for the shrewd pick over the big name one. But does it always have to be that way? Can’t we just have Mustafi and not Jonny Evans?

Is it really so wrong to just pick the guy the fans want every so often? When is the last time Arsenal fans got their way? I guess Alexis Sanchez is the latest example. But it happens far too infrequently. Sure, some Arsenal supporters go a bit crazy with their shopping list, but there are plenty of players that fans ask for that seem realistic.

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Like me… I wanted Ben-Yedder. But I digress.

Why not Shkodran Mustafi? If Arsene Wenger is eyeing up Jonny Evans over Shkodran Mustafi then what am I missing? There’s maybe a £5m difference in their price and the difference in quality and future prospectus is much greater than that.

I do think there is value in Jonny Evans, unlike some, but not in comparison to price with Mustafi. Evans had a good Euros, he has always been a pretty solid defender, but he’s not someone that can hold down a starting role at Arsenal. Plus, at 28 he works like a rental.

Evans had his best statistical year with West Brom, but a huge part of that has to go into the tactics of Tony Pulis, who favors the defensive end.

Meanwhile, Mustafi had an even better Euros, he is much better in the air than Evans, he is a master at both tackling and intercepting and he has had to put up with attackers like Messi, Suarez, Neymar, Benzema, Bale and Ronaldo four times a year, among others. But as we saw in the Euros, no matter who you put in front of him, Mustafi has the ability, strength and intelligence to snuff it out.

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Plus, at 24, we have a long-term prospect here in Mustafi. He can be Koscielny’s partner for as long as the Frenchman is around and then he can partner with Gabriel. A team needs two viable center back pairings and Arsenal has not had that in far too long.

I don’t often advocate for signings to please the supporters, but in terms of Mustafi vs Evans, just pick the guy that fans want and that you know will work. Money cannot be that much of a motivation. Why try to be cute and clever when you know what kind of defender you need?

The only situation where I see Evans being preferred is if Wenger is truly worried about Mustafi getting in the way of Chambers, Holden and Bielik. But that isn’t even a situation that should ever cross Wenger’s mind, as he preaches internal competition.

I am not wholly opposed to Evans coming to Arsenal. There’s no doubting the man has class. But when it’s a tick-for-tick comparison between the two, it has to go to Mustafi all day.

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However, we also have to be aware that there are now rumors that Valencia do not wish to see. But whoever really wants to sell? It’s not very often. Offer the right price and be done with it.

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