Arsenal have reportedly made Tunisian international
defender Karim
Haggui their number one defender
target.
The versatile Hannover 96 player
predominantly plays at right back, but can also slot in at centre
back when required, an adaptability that is thought to appeal to
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
Chris Samba, Richard Dunne and Per Mertesacker were all linked
with a move to north London, with the German international thought
to be the preferred choice for the French manager.
However, Wenger appears to have switched his sites to another
Bundesliga defender, with reports in Germany and France claiming
Arsenal will target Haggui at the end of the season.
A former Bayer Leverkusen and Strasbourg player, it’s thought
that Haggui would cost Arsenal in the region of €3 million.
SOURCE: Give Me Football – Official PFA
Website
Arsenal supporters may well wish that Arsene Wenger did
occasionally just mindlessly splash the cash on an established star
rather than always looking to bring in a little known player who he
can then turn into a household name.
The North London club have a fairly threadbare defence due to
injury concerns over Thomas Vermaelen and to a lesser extent
Sebastian Squillaci and are now having to stick with the centre
back pairing of Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny who have been
fairly impressive at times but the Gunners boss is still very much
looking for another defender to give him more options at the
back.
Haggui is clearly not a big name player but the 27 year old has
been in good form at Hannover 96 who are having a
great season and the Tunisian international has been a big reason
for the up turn in fortunes for Mirko Slomka’s side.
The adaptable defender had three seasons at Bayer Leverkusen
before his move to Hannover and was strongly linked with a move to
PSG in January but the deal did not come to fruition and clearly
the fact that he started his career at Arsene Wenger’s former
Strasbourg stamping ground may have something to do with his inside
knowledge of the player’s ability.
