Very capable of scoring goals, as they showed at the weekend against Chelsea, it’s at the back that Arsenal are having a few issues.
Already struggling with the quality of their defending, the Gunners will now have to make do without Hector Bellerin for the rest of the season, who injured his knee ligaments in that same game.
Back in the centre of defence, however, the return of Laurent Koscielny has helped, yet Arsenal keep getting linked with a new man on a regular basis for that particular spot in the team.
Players such as Gianluca Mancini, Mehdi Benatia and Fernando Calero all spring to mind, and another can now be added to that list: Aissa Mandi.
According to El Desmarque, Arsenal are ‘knocking at the door’ for the Algeria international, although the source of their story remains a bit vague.
They state that this has come ‘from England’, but a quick search led us to find nothing predating their article.
Either way, the story isn’t exactly a positive one for Gunners fans, as Betis are requesting the €30m of the player’s release clause, and since Arsenal have made it clear they can’t afford permanent deals in January, they’re a bit stuck.
In the meantime, the Spanish side are said to be looking into extending the defender’s contract and increasing the amount he could officially leave for.
Bottom line: either Arsenal pay up, which they won’t, or Mandi stays.
