Arsenal eye Celtic defender Dijk

Image
IANS London
Last Updated : Oct 17 2014 | 2:20 PM IST

Following an injury crisis at the football club, Arsenal, who are lying in seventh spot in the English Premier League (EPL) standings, will try to bring in Celtic defender Virgin van Dijk in the January transfer window.

Arsenal have set aside 20 million pounds for new players and at Thursday's Annual General Meeting (AGM), it was made clear that manager Arsene Wenger will be granted autonomy to spend that money, reports The Daily Telegraph.

"Let's not be in a muddle about who calls the shots about football at Arsenal. It is not the fans, it is not the chairman, it is Arsene Wenger. If he has a plan, we back him. If he doesn't have a plan, we keep quiet," Arsenal chairman Chips Keswick said at the AGM.

Injuries to Mathieu Debuchy and Laurent Koscielny, as well as a suspension for Calum Chambers, will force Arsenal to start against Hull City Saturday with Nacho Monreal at centre-back for the first time in a competitive game.

Hector Bellerin, a 19-year-old who has never started a Premier League game, or Francis Coquelin, usually a midfielder, is likely to play at right-back.

"We could have bought one more player but we didn't find. We will try in January to rectify that because we are a bit short because of the injuries we had. I think we will rectify that in the transfer market in January," Wenger said.

"We had big injuries and coincidental injuries. There are a lot of post-World Cup injuries and not many soft-tissue injuries."

Theo Walcott and Serge Gnabry are now both in full training but will not play against Hull although Mikel Arteta is back in the squad.

Aaron Ramsey will begin full training Monday and should be available to face Anderlecht in the Champions League Wednesday.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Oct 17 2014 | 2:18 PM IST

Next Story