Arsenal Plot Next Signing As Defender Could Be Available For Cut Price In January

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger could launch a bid for West Ham defender Winston Reid come January to help resolve his paper thin defense. The Gunners could get the 26-year old for a cut-price fee as his contract runs down next summer. There are no ongoing discussions between Reid and the West Ham board for a contract extension, which could mean that the New Zealander is stalling to see if Arsenal make a bid in January.

Reid is the current captain of his national team and can play as a center back or right back, though his natural position is that of a center back. Arsenal sold their club captain Thomas Vermaelen in the summer to Barcelona and replaced him with Calum Chambers who has been impressive so far. However, with injuries to Mathieu Debuchy and laurent Koscielny, Arsenal’s defensive resources have been stretched. The signing of Reid could be boost as they are in desperate need of players who are versatile. Reid’s presence will provide backup to both center back and right back positions.

Wenger had revealed last week that he will strengthen come January, so do expect a move for Reid. West Ham will not want to lose him for free, so they’ll be forced to sell him even for a meagre fee if an offer comes in. We expect the fee to be somewhere around £5m for West Ham to part ways with Reid and given Reid’s quality on the pitch it is definitely a steal for the Gunners. He has appeared in every Premier League so far and has been a key contributor in the Hammers’ impressive start to the league so far. They are currently in the 4th spot, 1 point behind last season’s champions Manchester City after beating them a few days ago.

Reid has made a total of 114 appearances for the club since joining them in 2010 from Danish club FC Midtjylland. He could be a cheaper alternative for Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk. Arsenal were being linked with him last week.