By ’Tayo Amosu
August 26, 2014
Arsenal’s reported deal to bring in Olympiacos’ defender Kostas Manolas appears stronger by the minute as The Mail reveals that the player was left out of the Greek giants’ 3-1 win against Niki Volou on Saturday in their first league match of the new season.
The 23-year-old who was a strong member of the Greek side that participated in the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil recently, has been an Arsenal target for a while now and reports were floated about his impending Emirates switch last week.
It was revealed that he was in London for his medicals ahead of the move after an omission in the Olympiacos squad that faced Atletico Bilbao for a friendly and this was refuted by Greek press which claimed a disagreement over transfer fee between the two clubs.
However, this recent omission from the Olympiacos team may just be an indication of a move to London as no injuries were reported to have been suffered by the player.
He could probably be at the Emirates truly this time for his medicals.
Manolas, who was also said to be attracted to Italian giants Juventus and Napoli, must have won the bid to snap the effective player up, with a better pay package and the prospect of his development under the experienced Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.
However, many supporters who have watched him play have termed the player an upgrade on Thomas Vermaelen for his goal scoring, aerial abilities and good recovery rate in a counter-attacking situation.
Arsenal is believed to offer him more chances as he may not only be a back-up central defender, but also compete for a first team shirt with either of Laurent Koscielny or Per Mertersacker for the first choice defensive pairing.
Kostas Manolas, who has previously played for AEK Athens and Thrasyvoulos, was named among The Independent’s best 50 players from the 2014 World Cup.
Now, with Kostas Manolas in the team, Arsenal can boast of a dependable defender, who at 23, is yet to attain his peak.
It is generally believed that defenders are at their best around the ages of 25 and 28.
Koscielny joined Arsenal at age 24 and now he is an Arsenal top choice for his position, therefore Manolas’ best is expectedly yet to come.
With new signing, Calum Chambers, the defensive department of the North London side, would have more steel going into a very challenging season.
This only confirms Wenger’s desire to mount an impressive campaign on all fronts this season.
Though Olympiacos held out for £12m according to the Greek press, any fee between £8m, which was earlier reported that Arsenal prepared and the £12m would represents a steal on one of the best defenders in Greece and another relatively unknown player with limitless potentials, reminiscent of Koscielny’s move from Lorient few years ago.
With Manolas in the team in addition to the very impressive Calum Chambers, Arsenal would boast of two young defenders with the strength and intelligence to compete rather than serve as back-ups to Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny in the Arsenal backline.
