Arsenal: Kostas Manolas Has Disappointment Written On Him

Arsenal has supposedly turned their attention to Kostas Manolas with so many other targets off the table, but this has disappointment written all over it.

In case you haven’t been following Arsenal’s transfer window, you haven’t missed much. Obvious defensive solution Shkodran Mustafi looked dead set on coming to North London, but a healthy dose of Wenger dithering made the deal fall through as the Gunners defensive fortunes look to be in the hands of Laurent Koscielny and Rob Holding for the foreseeable future.

However, there are going to be some token last gasp opportunities to land defensive help. Johnny Evans looked to be a serious option, but Tony Pulis must have read ‘Supply and Demand for Dummies’, because his price hike on the Irish defender came at a seemingly perfect time to spoil Wenger’s plans.

Now, we’ve come full circle back to Greek defender Kostas Manolas. While the man himself is a fantastic candidate and one that would inevitably bolster Arsenal’s defense, the transfer pursuit is doomed to fail.

Manolas was one of the first center backs linked to Arsenal this summer and it’s clear to see why. He fits the billing. The Roma man has the size and strength to fill the role Mertesacker once did and fill it well. But even back when Arsenal were first linked to the Greek, various snags struck and left Wenger at a price tag that he wasn’t exactly fond of.

Then again, what price tag is Wenger fond of?

This time around, nothing has changed. We already know that Manolas’ valuation doesn’t jive with Wenger’s. Roma wanted something right at or more than what Johnny Evans is suddenly going to cost and Wenger has made it clear he won’t spend that. Mustafi was the first choice and Wenger wouldn’t even pay that for him.

This rumored pursuit has disappointment written all over it. With Mustafi falling through so late in the transfer window, Wenger now has a week to land Manolas. That simply isn’t going to happen. Especially not when the hype surrounding Rob Holding is growing by the day.

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Wenger needs a budget defender. Someone like Simon Kjaer or Omer Toprak. He will not spend a ridiculous price (if £25m is ridiculous) for a defender when he believes Rob Holding can do the job. Even if whoever he would be spending that money on (Mustafi, Manolas) may be an upgrade. It’s the problem we always find ourselves at. A youth player is doing just enough to hold Wenger’s attention.

I do believe that Holding can do a sizzling job at center back (sizzling, as in a good thing). But that’s not saying someone else couldn’t do it better and potentially motivate Holding to improve even more. It’s the whole ‘internal competition’ thing that Wenger preaches constantly but never seems to live by.

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Don’t get your hopes up for Manolas. With a week left in the window, everyone knows Wenger is shopping and they know the kind of price tags that can send him packing.

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