Zapata cries out to Arsenal to come and get him + I REVIEW THE 3 CENTRE BACKS ARSENAL HAVE BEEN LINKED WITH AND DECIDES WHO’S BEST
UDINESE defender Cristian Zapata claims Arsenal are among the clubs interested in signing him this summer.
The 22-year-old has made 17 league starts for Udinese this season and his performances for the Bianconeri have not gone unnoticed.
He said: “Juventus, Fiorentina, Milan, Arsenal and Villarreal have requested information about me.
“There are many teams that are keen to sign me but an official offer has not been made so far.
“I think if a good offer arrives then Udinese will have to consider it.
“But the club don’t need to sell me immediately.”
Udinese reportedly turned down a £9.5million bid from Arsenal for Zapata last summer.
The Colombia international joined the Italian outfit in 2005 from home club Deportivo Cali. He is under contract with Udinese until June 2013.
Would he be a good signing?
In my opinion yes I think he would be a great signing although to secure him we would probably need to place a bid in excess of £10 million which begs the question why not bid for Juventus’s Chiellini who is a better player who would cost around £13 – £15 million.
So so far Arsenal have been linked with 3 centre backs:
Head to head
Thomas Vermaelen: 
Height = 180 cm
Weight = 73kg
Age = 23
Transfer fee = £6 – 10 million
Current Club = Ajax
- Christian Zapata
Height = 187 cm
Weight = 78kg
Age = 22
Transfer fee = £8 – 14 million
Current Club = Udinese
- Chiellini
Height = 186 cm
Weight = 76kg
Age = 24
Transfer fee = £10 – 15 million
Current Club = Juventus
So who would be the best signing for us in the circumstances…
After a lot of consideration I believe Christian Zapata to be ruled the winner of this head to head.
Why?
Simply the fact is that he is tall enough to play in the premier league and also is strong enough which I’m not sure Vermaelen is therefore ruling him out. Chielleni would be a great choice and one which would really strengthen our defence but I think with our budget constraints he costs to much, consequently ruling him out. Therefore this leaves Zapata to be the winner because we can just afford him at around £10 million!
Anyone agree with me or dis-agree or have you anyone else to out into the equation? Leave a comment if so!
June 6th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Belgian and Dutch papers are reporting online that we’ve completed a deal for Vermaelen. 13m Euros is the number being tossed about. Not sure how accurate this is, but that’s the word going round in the last hour or so.
June 6th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
To be fair i’d go for Vermaelen. I’ve seen all 3 of these play quite a bit and Vermaelen just nudges it over the other 2. Why? Well he’s as fearless as John Terry, he’s the Captain of Ajax and commands the box really well, is better in the air (he has an amazing leap on him), he’s technically good on the ball, has pace, pops up with a few goals on set pieces and has international experience in an up-and-coming team. The fact that he’s an inch or 2 shorter than the other 2 doesn’t really matter as he 6 footer who’s 2 1/2 inches taller than Cannavaro (who’s not too shabby). If we can get any of these 3 i’d be chuffed but overall my preference is Vermaelen.
June 8th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Am sure the Ajax captain,Thomas is my choice but who is he pairing with in the defence if Kolo Toure leaves for Manchester City and the future of Gallas and Clichy are not confirmed?We need to keep our players else what happened two seasons ago will repeat itself.
June 8th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
For Arsenl to make the expected impact next season Arsene Wenger must be actively involve in the transfer market this summer with quality buys.