Arsenal supporters in the Transfer Tavern have been in a jubilant mood this week, in stark contrast to the fans of Craig Shakespeare’s Leicester City.
Arsene Wenger’s Gunners got back to winning ways in the Premier League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Bournemouth, before backing that up with a 3-1 win over Cologne in the Europa League on Thursday, yet the Foxes suffered a third defeat of the campaign after going down 2-1 at home to champions Chelsea.
Yet the supporters of both clubs are unlikely to be thrilled by a recent report from SportBild (via The Daily Express), which outlines that the Premier League duo missed out on a deadline day deal for German international Benedikt Howedes.
The 29-year-old has been on the books at Bundesliga outfit Schalke since 2001, in which time he has made his way up through the youth ranks to play 335 games for the club, as well as earn 44 caps for Germany.
However, the defender was stripped of the captaincy to throw his future into doubt, doubt which Arsenal and Leicester reportedly attempted to exploit by launching deadline day moves for the 2014 World Cup winner, only to see Italian giants Juventus secure his services.
And with both sides having conceded eight goals in their opening four Premier League games of the season, this is sure to come as a blow to both Wenger and Shakespeare, who will know that they must solidify their leaky backlines to meet their respective aims this season.
Landlord’s verdict: Arsenal and Leicester opened the new Premier League campaign with a 4-3 thriller on August 11 which, although was great for the neutral, certainly highlighted both sides’ defensive frailties.
And that is why it’s no surprise that they were both seeking a deal for German World Cup winner Benedikt Howedes on deadline day, with the 29-year-old a vastly experienced and accomplished defender with over 300 appearances for Schalke, and 44 for his country.
It was Juventus who got a deal done though, leaving Arsene Wenger and Craig Shakespeare with the testing task of sorting their backlines out with the players already at their respective clubs.
Arsenal and Leicester fans… what do you make of the news? Let us know!
