Arsenal have had a rather slow start to their Premier League campaign with just 10 points from the first six Premier League games. It was quite apparent from the Leicester City and Liverpool games, that the Gunners are in need of defensive reinforcements, although their backline has steadied up somewhat in the recent games. The name of Kostas Manolas has again been brought to the fore as the North London outfit have again been linked with a move for the 26-year-old.
Manolas is one of the top centre-backs in Seria A and his future has always been quite uncertain at AS Roma as the defender has been time and time again been linked with a move away from Stadio Olimpico.
In the summer, he was linked with a move to Chelsea and Zenit Saint Petersburg but neither of them materialised. Manolas is under contract at AS Roma till 2019 and is said to have agreed to sign a new contract which includes a £26m release clause.
Arsenal’s naivety in defending has often been exposed. The Liverpool game showed that they needed to improve a lot defensively. Despite playing three at the back, they have often lacked that defensive solidity. They have tried various permutations and combinations with their current list of centre-backs and although they have worked well sometimes, they haven’t been a permanent fix to Arsenal’s inconsistency.
If Arsenal want to compete at the top level, they need to remedy their defensive inconsistencies and the addition of AS Roma’s Kostas Manolas can help them do just that.
Despite standing quite tall at six feet and two inches, the centre-back is quite athletic and has decent speed. He remains tight to the opposition attackers suffocating them for space. One of his main assets is his concentration and the ability to read the move to make an early interception to kill the move, in its infancy.
He is also blessed with a natural tackling ability and doesn’t shy away from challenging an opponent regardless of his physical build. In addition to all these qualities, he can also drive forward with the ball. He could slot in seamlessly in the heart of any top club’s defence.
Kostas Manolas is also said to be an excellent leader and can help shore up Arsenal’s defence. This might further enable Arsenal to continually rotate his defenders around, to prevent burnout and injuries to his other defenders.
Roma will surely be reluctant to lose one of their key men after already having lost Antonio Rudiger to Chelsea in the summer. Arsenal will need to swoop quickly with several top clubs interested in the services of the defender.
