Arsenal: The key thing Jonny Evans brings is a difference

Arsenal are reportedly pushing hard to sign West Brom defender Jonny Evans. While not the top class name many would have been hoping for, he is extremely different to what Arsene Wenger already has at the club, which is crucial.

The need for a strong, steely, dominating central defender is one that has plagued Arsenal for many years. Even when the pairing of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny was at its height, they did not defend with an aggressive, commanding edge. They simply controlled the game through possession. Defending did not matter all that much.

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And it proved costly. When they did have to defend, they were exploited. 5-1 against Liverpool. 6-0 against Chelsea. 6-3 against Manchester City. These were all losses in which the pair played, and were carved open, in.

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Arsene Wenger seems to have, eventually, recognised the need. If the reports throughout the January transfer window are to be believed, Wenger is keen on bringing West Bromwich Albion defender Jonny Evans to the Emirates, seeing the former Manchester United player as the perfect complement to a soft, if composed, defence.

And Evans certainly offers an element of defensive grit that this team is missing. He is, as the tradition goes, a real defender. He stops goals. That may be a little archaic for a defender in this modern footballing landscape that is all about pass completion rate, chances created and team possession. But for Arsenal, it exactly what they need.

There is just one problem. Alan Pardew, West Brom manager, on Friday morning, stated that a suitable offer is yet to be made for Evans, proclaiming that he will, therefore, ‘remain a West Brom player.’ When asked about whether Mathieu Debuchy had, as was reported, been offered as a makeweight, the gristly manager retorted:

"“That is not a deal we would be interested in and it’s not a deal that has been put to us either. That’s just paper talk or somebody has released that and that’s not true. Jonny is still at the football club and we still haven’t had a bid put to us that’s anywhere near acceptable. Therefore he will remain a West Brom player.”"

As we all know, in the transfer world, what is being reported in the newspapers, what the managers are saying in press conferences, and what is actually going happen very rarely align. Often times, there can be three different storylines all happening simultaneously. And so, just because Pardew publicly declares that Evans, for now, will remain a West Brom, that does not mean that Arsenal could not complete a deal for him before the deadline.

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Evans would not be the solution to the Gunners’ defensive issues. They stem far deeper than just the personnel in the squad. But he would certainly help. He is different from what is already at the club, and that is invaluable.