Arsenal are lining up a fresh move for West Bromwich Albion defender Jonny Evans when the transfer window opens in January. The Gunners already had a £25m deadline day bid turned down by the Baggies in August.
However, Arsene Wenger remains persistent and will go back again next month to try and tie up a deal for Evans. Premier League leaders, Manchester City have joined in on the hunt as well with Pep Guardiola interested in the Northern Ireland defender. The Gunners are looking to give their squad a boost in January and reckon that Jonny Evans would be a perfect fit for their defence with the 29-year-old also keen on a move to a bigger club.
The new West Brom boss has disclosed that he will sit down with the defender and have a talk about his future to try and assess his commitment to the club and determine whether he wants to leave.
Alan Pardew said: “I think the assurance I need is probably from Jonny more than anybody, and I haven’t met him yet,”
He continued, “I’m looking forward to seeing him. I think he’s a fabulous player and very important for the club, so I will have a good old discussion with him.”
West Brom’s Chinese owner Guochuan Lai who hired Alan Pardew as their new manager wants the club to become a sustainable and profitable outfit following a £170m take over last summer. This means that the French manager is unlikely to receive major funds to spend in the January transfer window. Most of his January transfer kitty will be generated from player sales. And the possible sale of Jonny Evans might help his cause in reshaping the Baggies’ squad into a dogged team capable of avoiding relegation this season.
When asked about his plans in January, Pardew claimed: “When I look at the clubs who are involved, particularly around the relegation area, I know they’re going to do business. You can’t take our eye off that. We have to grow as much as we can. I also know from my experience at Newcastle you can lose key players in January. You need to be on your guard to replace them. I will have to see how we go and assess quickly.”
The Northern Ireland international has made 77 appearances for West Brom since his move from Manchester United in the summer of 2015. He has four goals and three assists to his name at the West Midlands club. The 29-year-old can also boast 67 international caps for the Northern Ireland national football team. With Per Mertesacker struggling to get any kind of game-time at Arsenal this season, Arsene Wenger may ask Jonny Evans to fight for a place in the Gunners’ starting eleven and provide a healthy competition within his squad.
It remains to be seen whether they can fend off interest from Manchester City and tie up a deal with the Baggies for the veteran Premier League defender.
