Darren Bent has suggested that Arsenal could try to sign Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen in the summer, per Football Insider.
What’s he said?
The Belgium international’s current contract expires at the end of the season.
Thus, he could be available on a free transfer if he fails to agree new terms with Mauricio Pochettino’s men.
And Bent, who played for Spurs between 2007 and 2009, is concerned that the Gunners could swoop, as they famously did for Sol Campbell in 2001, when the ex-England defender moved across north London on a free.
He said: “Jan Vertonghen, playing at the centre of the defence, are there too many more that are going to be better than him? If you’re going to take him on a free, Arsenal could do with him.
“If he’s on a free don’t be surprised if they’re in the mix for him as well. I think it’s a situation they need to address but at the same time I wouldn’t want to see these players walk away for nothing.
“It’s a difficult one, they’re down to a free, they’re obviously not going to sign new contracts so what do you do?”
Arsenal could do a lot worse
This makes some sense bearing in mind Vertonghen’s contract situation.
Arsenal currently have the likes of Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz in their defence and one has to believe that Vertonghen would be a major upgrade on that.
After all, this is a player who has twice made it into the Premier League Team of the Year and made last term’s Champions League squad of the season.
He may be 32 – and Spurs may have started the season poorly with 13 goals conceded already – but he’s nearing 300 appearances for the club and remains perhaps their most assured centre-back, someone who can defend resolutely but also play out of the backline.
The Gunners could certainly use his experience and reliability at the heart of their defence, acquiring it while directly weakening their local and key divisional rivals, but it remains to be seen whether or not Vertonghen would be willing to become a pariah for Spurs fans.
If he is, Arsenal could grab themselves a massive bargain. They should at least ask the question.