Wenger didn't sound particularly optimistic about this, hinted that we can't compete with City.

There are half a dozen, better younger and probably cheaper (yet still mediocre) PL defenders we could easily get.

How is both City and us fighting badly for this defender?

I feel like I am missing something. Was he that good for Brom?

Clrnc wrote:

How is both City and us fighting badly for this defender?

I feel like I am missing something. Was he that good for Brom?

You're missing the part where his agent wants to get paid and is talking nonsense to the closest reporter

We should go after Harry Maguire instead if we want PL experience with the right age and skillset. Give Leicester Chambers and £25 million. I'm sure they'll bite.

I like Maguire but I think he'll be badly exposed in a high line. Has had some really poor games this season as well.

My pick for a centre half would be Stefan de Vrij - supposedly available in the summer.

He just scored, transfer price just went up and now sadly out of our reach...such a shame.

Is this a serious link? I haven't been following the transfer news closely.

I have always had an irrational dislike of Evans, disproportionate to his stature at United

Apparently, Jonny Evans was just taken off with no injury and West Brom leading 2-0 with 5 minutes to go to a standing ovation from the home crowd and a hand shake from Alan Pardew. Hmmm...

He's off. Definitely. Just saw the end of the match he came out and went to all quarters to salute the fans

Hard for me to be that opposed to it given we're playing Holding, Chambers, Mertesacker (and even Mustafi is woefully inconsistent) regularly at the moment.

Evans is no fool and he'd be an improvement right now for sure.

Ricky, what do you think is the bigger improvement lever
A) get a proper defensive coordinator to come in and coach defense with the current crew, or
B) get someone like Evans to replace the players above in the current regime?

Supposedly. All very weird. I just don't want another United reject.

Claudius wrote:

Ricky, what do you think is the bigger improvement lever
A) get a proper defensive coordinator to come in and coach defense with the current crew, or
B) get someone like Evans to replace the players above in the current regime?

Steve Bould knows about defending. Maybe he doesn't get to coach how he wants but you and I can't know that.

What I do know for certain is the players we have aren't good enough and given we've seen Wenger get top class, prolonged consistent performances out of Arsenal defences previously, I'll wait until we put a good balanced team out on the pitch, with a back 5 that doesn't have glaring weaknesses before I write off out coaching completely.