Former Arsenal Fan Favourite Tells Arsene Wenger to Sign Experienced Defender Jonny Evans

Ex-Arsenal star turned Sky pundit Paul Merson thinks Arsene Wenger should make a move for Northern Irish centre-back Jonny Evans in an attempt to sure up the Gunners leaky defence. 

Speaking on The Debate on Sky Sports, the pundit said: ''They need someone at the back. If you keep on leaking goals and defending like they are then you are not going to get in the top four.

“I’m a big fan of Evans. People might say he’s at West Brom, but he’s one of the best centre-halves around in my opinion.

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Arsenal have been linked with Evans in recent weeks, with some suggesting they may be close to securing a £25m deal. With The Gunners finding form difficult to come by of late, the centre-half would be a welcome addition. 

West Brom themselves are not performing well at the minute and sit 19th in the league, just one point off bottom. Despite this, many have praised Evans for his recent good performances.

As well as his defensive abilities, Evans can pose a threat going forward, most recently scoring in his side's crucial 2-0 victory over Brighton.

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Arsenal are currently being frustrated in their pursuit of Henrik Mkhitaryan, with the move seeming hard to finalise. Even if this deal is completed, Merson thinks Wenger must do more.

''Get Sanchez done if you can get Mkhi in, and then I would go and get Evans," he added.

''I still think they need a holding player and they are poor at the back. Until they sort that out you can have 10 forwards but it still won’t be good enough.''

The North London side currently sit sixth in the table, and may take Merson's advice in a bid to strengthen their fight for a top four place. However, West Brom are unlikely to let one of their key men go without a fight.