Arsenal have today been strongly linked with a move for Roma central defender Kostas Manolas. The Greek international has been a mainstay of the Roma defence in recent years, playing over 200 times for the Giallorossi since his move from Olympiakos five years ago. In that time he has forged a reputation as one of the best defenders in Serie A, and that coupled with the fact he is available at a bargain price due to a low release clause has prompted interest from a number of top clubs. 

The latest of these clubs, and the one that seems to be in pole position for his signature at the moment is Arsenal. Arsenal have struggled defensively for a number of years now, and manager Unai Emery has made it clear recently that he is in the market for at least one central defender, as concerns over the form of Mustafi, and the age and injury history of Koscielny grow more pronounced. 

Manolas would represent the perfect signing for Arsenal, not just because he is available at a knock down price, but also for the qualities that he would bring to the Arsenal defence. He has strong mental characteristics, which seems to be something that Arsenal are desperately lacking at times. He is the type of player that never shirks a tackle, and when he does make a crucial block or tackle, he celebrates it like a goal. He possesses surprising pace for such a big man, and this is an invaluable asset to his game. Whilst he isn’t the most natural ball playing centre back in the world he is relatively comfortable on the ball. His physical stature at 6’2 makes him an imposing opposition aerially. In short he seems tailor made for the Premier League.

Manolas has a contract with Roma until 2022, but on June 1st a release clause in his contract becomes active. This release clause is set at an incredibly modest €36 million, something which when you compare him to other defenders quoted prices on the market today, seems to be a snip. Another benefit of the release clause is that it is structured in such a way that it can be paid in two installments, making him even more accessible to clubs on a budget like Arsenal, as the cost can be spread over two different transfer budgets.

Arsenal’s proposed transfer budget has been much talked about recently, and the general consensus is that the amount the board will allow Emery to spend is intrinsically linked to whether they get Champions League football next season or not. In that sense all will be decided next Wednesday when they face Chelsea in the Europa League final. But regardless of this, with Manolas being available at such a comparatively cheap price, the deal seems to make sense for Arsenal, especially considering the fee can be paid in two installments.

If Arsenal are indeed keen on landing the big Greek international, they would be well advised to move quickly once his release clause is active, as top class defender are not often available for such modest transfer fee’s in this market, and especially those with exactly the attributes that Arsenal seem to be lacking in defence.