After failing to secure German Shkodran Mustafi and reaching an dead end in pursuit of West Bromwich Albion defender Jonny Evans, Arsenal have now moved on to pursuing Monaco’s left-back Ruben Vinagre with a view to the future.
According to Record, Arsenal has now entered the race with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City to sign Vinagre. The talented 17-year-old has been on the radar since impressing in the under-17 European Championship in Azerbaijan held earlier this year in May.
Vinagre joined Monaco last season on a free transfer from Sporting Lisbon. The defender has been made available on loan by the club, with an option to buy, after manager Leandro Jardim revealed he has no plans to offer the youngster game time this season. The youngster hasn’t made a single match appearance since joining the club and can therefore be willing to look elsewhere to gain first-team chances.
Apart from competing with Spurs and City, Gunners will also face extra competition from several Portuguese clubs to sign the left-back as reported by Record.
In absence of defenders Gabriel Paulista and Per Mertesacker, Arsene Wenger has no choice but to bolster his defensive line-up. The youngster may have a chance to play this season especially if the Gunners fail to bring in centre-back, with first choice left-back Nacho Monreal a realistic option at centre-half, paving the way for Kieran Gibbs and potentially a youngster to achieve some pitch-time. Recent £2million signing Rob Holding is proof that no matter the age, you will be given a chance at Arsenal if the ability is there.
The transfer window will close next Wednesday and so far Arsenal has only made two defensive-minded summer signings in the form of Granit Xhaka and Rob Holding. Gunners have once again struggled in the transfer market with Arsene Wenger contesting availability of quality players at the right price.
The urgency to sign a striker and a defender in the last week of the transfer window might increase if Arsenal returns with anything less than three points when they travel to Watford on Saturday. As for Vinagre, he is one for the future – not the answer to our current defensive problems
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