Arsenal weigh up £8m move to fill Clichy’s boots

Arsenal are hoping to land defender Jose Enrique from Newcastle and have been quoted a transfer fee of £8m, according to the Daily Mail.

The departure of Gael Clichy has left a hole in Arsenal’s defence that is notoriously difficult to fill, and left-backs of a high quality in the Premier League are generally hard to come by. Arsenal were believed to have shown an interest in Everton’s Leighton Baines, however a price tag of around £15m was one that Arsene Wenger was never going to contemplate for too long.

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the future of Jose Enrique, with the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona being linked with the Spaniard at some point during the window. However, Clichy’s £7m move to Manchester City has left Wenger in need of a replacement perhaps more urgently than other clubs, and it would appear as though Enrique is the Frenchman’s preferred to choice to fill in at left-back after an impressive season on Tyneside.

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew is believed to be resigned to losing Enrique, and after the departure of Kevin Nolan and a failure to agree a new contract with Joey Barton, the Toon Army will have their concerns about letting another one of their key players leave the club. Arsenal on the other hand will consider this a sign that Wenger is willing to spend when he needs to, and will be glad to see him bringing in proven Premier League talent for a change.