Arsene Wenger has moved quickly to replace the departed Thomas Vermaelen by moving for Greek defender Konstantinos Manolas.
According to reports, Arsenal would be submitting a bid that is in the region of £8 million for the Greek defender.
The 23 year old Greek defender was a key player for Olympiacos last season as they romped to their fourth consecutive title in the Greek league. The 6ft 1in defender made a total of 25 league appearances last season.
The defender has attracted interest from several of Europe leading clubs including the likes of Juventus and Napoli.
He was a key player in Greece World Cup campaign featuring in Greece entire four matches in Brazil, playing a total of 390 minutes in all the matches, winning one tackle, with three blocks, and he recovered the ball eighteen times, with a pass completion rate of 84.4% in the entire four matches he played.
The defender drew plaudits for his display for Greece at the World Cup and at the Greek league.
He is one the few pools of the central defenders that have been linked to Arsenal this summer as Arsene Wenger look to replace Thomas Vermaelen.
At a price of £8 million he would represents a bargain for Arsenal going by the current price in the transfer market. With two years left on his contract, Olympiacos would be looking to cash in on the 23 year old defender if he does not sign a new contract.
Apart from the club’s interest in the Greek defender, Arsenal’s search for a defender has seen it linked to Manchester City’s Matija Nastasic and Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels.
Arsene Wenger said after the Manchester City match on Sunday what qualities he would be looking out for in the defender he would be looking to bring in as a replacement for Thomas Vermaelen.
He said: “You make your position with your performance and you have to accept that. With the boys who have chosen to live in a competitive world, who plays? I cannot tell you. But maybe a guy who can play in two or three different positions would be a better asset for us.”
Going by the assertion of Arsene Wenger, versatility could play a huge part in the type of player he would bring in in defence.
The versatility of Calum Chambers may have swayed Arsene Wenger’s stands to bring in a player that can play in more than two positions, whether this would have an effect in the potential signing of Konstantinos Manolas remains to be seen.
