Arsenal fans in the Football Transfer Tavern were delivered a bolt from the blue this morning after reading the widespread reports online that claimed Nacho Monreal is closing in on a transfer to Athletic Bilbao.
With the original reports deriving from Spanish publication AS, the story claims Monreal will cost the Basque club around €10 million after Arsene Wenger deliberated upon cashing in on the Spaniard with his contract ending in 2016.
Most Gooners by the bar are looking extremely annoyed with the news with Monreal having completed the most remarkable of turnarounds last term, going from scapegoat centre back to a Player of the Year shout as the campaign went on.
While Kieran Gibbs is still at Emirates Stadium of course, Arsenal fans are starting to lose faith in this transfer window while claiming left back isn’t a position that should’ve been tampered with.
After signing Petr Cech a few weeks back, it did look as if Arsenal were in for a window in which they’d sign a new spine quickly and efficiently but with concrete news of incomings having died down massively, Gooners are experiencing those oh so familiar cynical feelings.
While Arsenal fans hope Monreal ends up staying, the reports have reached English media and the likes of talkSPORT today and given this speculation, we’ve decided to compile a list of five replacements who Wenger might be lining up behind the scenes.
[ffc-gallery]
Click on the image below to reveal the 5 Monreal replacements for Arsenal to consider this summer.
[/ffc-gallery]
Faouzi Ghoulam
Arsenal fans were choosing to take the rumours concerning Faouzi Ghoulam with a pinch of salt prior to the Monreal bomb but now they are reading them with much more attention.
The latest on the situation is that the Gunners have reportedly lodged a £10 million bid to Napoli for the Algerian international’s services and there was even talk that Arsenal were chasing a double deal for both Ghoulam and his Azzurri team-mate Jose Callejon.
While a double deal looks far-fetched, Ghoulam on his own looks a far more believable prospect and when you consider 10 of Ghoulam’s 21 Serie A appearances came off the bench last season, perhaps he has his eyes on increasing his playing chances elsewhere.
While that is all well and good, lots of Arsenal fans still have a lot of time for Kieran Gibbs as the club’s recognised first choice left back so Ghoulam may be arriving in a similar situation at Emirates Stadium.
Layvin Kurzawa
Talk of a summer transfer for Monaco’s Layvin Kurzawa has subsided recently but it may be about to pick up again if there is truth in the Monreal to Athletic Bilbao rumours.
The latest on Kurzawa’s situation was delivered by Metro back in May who claimed the player has told Monaco that he intends to leave the Principality club this summer.
Making over 30 appearances in Ligue 1 last season, Kurzawa was the undoubted first choice at left back for Monaco last season and actually started against the Gunners in the second leg of the club’s meeting in the Champions League knock-out phase.
In a big season for French players with Euro 2016 around the corner, perhaps Kurzawa would be better served staying at Monaco while standing out but you can also understand that a move to the likes of Arsenal may thrust him into the attentions of Didier Deschamps more readily.
David Alaba
In a classic Twitter rumour in recent days, speculation was rife on the social network that Bayern Munich’s David Alaba could be transferring to Arsenal this summer.
The story, or non-story as some may call it, was sparked by @arsenalbarclays, a handle belonging to somebody with 14,000 followers who had claimed to have heard the story via beIN Sports.
On what appears to be have been a slow news day, it seems some Arsenal fans may have been drawn in by the series of tweets while clawing onto previous quotes from Alaba back in 2013 that claimed: “Arsenal is a dream, that’s my favourite team. But now I’m living my dream.
“Regarding offers from other clubs, I have not discussed them after consultation with my father and my agent,”
Arsenal could yet move for the likes of Alaba given the Monreal news and after all, he is somebody who could not only fulfil requirements at left back and centre back but also in the defensive midfield position where Arsenal fans have been crying out for reinforcements for numerous transfer windows now.
Baba Rahman
Baba Rahman is anything but a household name here in the tavern but we’ve become more and more accustomed to mentions of the Ghanaian in recent weeks after he was linked with not only Arsenal but also Chelsea and Roma.
Playing at a good level in the Bundesliga with FC Augsburg, Rahman has earned 11 caps for Ghana at senior international level and was part of the Black Stars team that finished runners-up to Ivory Coast in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
Right now, Roma are still considered favourites for Rahman’s signature with talkSPORT going as far to claim that the Giallorossi are poised to sign him as a replacement for Jose Holebas this week.
However, with Monreal potentially on the move, we wonder whether Arsenal could be reigniting their interest in Rahman in the next few days or so.
Ricardo Rodriguez
While the in-demand Ricardo Rodriguez signed a new deal with Wolfsburg back in January, this hasn’t stopped Metro linking both the Gunners and Manchester United with his £21.3 million signature as recently as in May.
With the reports having claimed that Arsenal are unconvinced by their current options at left back which could well turn out to be true with the sale of Monreal, Rodriguez is being lined up not only because of his quality but the fact he is only 22-years-old compared to Monreal who is approaching 30.
With the full back position seemingly growing in importance each year in regards to modern breeds supplementing attacks, perhaps Wenger wants to compliment the work of Hector Bellerin who enjoyed a fantastic breakthough campaign last year.
Prising Rodriguez away from Wolfsburg will be tough with the German side having acquired Champions League football for this season but perhaps any Monreal sale funds will be directed in the Wolves’ direction.
