There has been a surprising bit of news regarding forgotten man at Arsenal, Per Mertesacker. The club captain suffered an injury in pre-season and has been out of action ever since. While an injury to any player is unwelcome, the unfortunate event made Arsene Wenger ultimately act in the transfer window and he got Rob Holding and the big budget defender in Mustafi, the fans were crying out loud for.
And the latest developments automatically pushed the veteran German international down the pecking order. And with his contract due to end in summer, the club hierarchy wants him to get some playing time and show that he still has it in him to earn a contract extension. It might be a win-win situation for both parties along with the club who takes him on loan as well.
Let us take a look at 3 Premier League clubs who will benefit from having the experienced campaigner in their ranks-
LEICESTER CITY
The Foxes have made a mess of their much-hyped title defence and will try to save some face with an extended run in the Champions League as well as ensuring a respectable finish in the league. Along with a number of issues in the team, their central defensive pairing has been taking a lot of load and flak this season. The defensive rock of Morgan and Huth have failed to replicate their last year’s dominant nature and have looked fragile and immobile at the back. While Mertesacker certainly can’t be the solution to the second area of concern, his wealth of experience and undoubted quality can certainly help them in the league.
SWANSEA CITY
The Swans look destined for the drop and are already on their 3rd manager of the season. Paul Clement has come in and from the effortless domination of Bayern Munich where he was the assistant coach, has jumped straight into the hara-kiri of the relegation dogfight in the English Premier League. He has reiterated the need to sign players and his admission of his wish to sign the now unavailable Badstuber on loan underlines his plans of signing a centre-back. Mertesacker will bring a calming presence at the back and his leadership qualities will certainly help the Swans.
SUNDERLAND
Perhaps the team which needs players the most. Struck by injuries, bans, unavailability of players and an empty coffer, David Moyes has been served a sucker-punch at the Stadium of Light and he certainly doesn’t see any sort of light at the end of this dark, dark tunnel. With Lamine Kone off to the AFCON, he is down to the bare bones at the back. A 6-month loan deal for Mertesacker will be a blessing for him and they need to construct a loan move for the player somehow.
