Arsenal secure transfer of 20-year-old defender as Sven Mislintat lands first target

Arsenal have agreed their first signing both of the January transfer window and Sven Mislintat’s tenure as head of recruitment with the £1.9 million arrival of Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos.

The 20-year-old has been recruited from PAS Giannina but will now spend the rest of the season on loan, probably in the Bundesliga.

His arrival underlines how Arsenal’s transfer strategy will focus heavily on recruiting young players in their late teens and early twenties in the hope of identifying major future talents. That has been the bedrock of Arsene Wenger’s transfer strategy for much of the past two decades, although the past four years has seen a subtle move to paying bigger fees for ready-made players.

There has been frustration, though, at how close the club came to signing players like Kylian Mbappe and N’Golo Kante before they became wanted by the very richest clubs in Europe and Arsenal are determined to improve in that age group.

Mavropanos, who is 6ft 4ins, made his debut in the Greek Super League for PAS Giannina aged just 18 in November 2016 and is regarded as one of the best young players in Greece.

He has played primarily in a three-man central defence and improving their options in this position is a transfer priority this year for Arsenal. Per Mertesacker is retiring at the end of the season while Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal are now both into their thirties. There was also some uncertainty last summer about Shkodran Mustafi’s future. Arsenal do also have two young English centre-backs in Calum Chambers and Rob Holding but there remain questions about their ability to consistently play at the very highest level. Mislintat is focussed especially on the European market following his successes at Borussia Dortmund.

“We have a structure in England, where we know everybody,” said Wenger. “We have taken somebody who has international experience and that is why we made that decision.”

Comments

Vulvar Care Tips

Vulva Care Maintaining a healthy vulva and vagina will help prevent infections and discomfort. Unusual changes in vaginal discharge is a sign that there might be an issue. Why is vulvar and vagina care important? Many women experience uncomfortable, vaginal infections (vaginitis) at one time or another. The area around the entrance to the vagina (vulva) can also become irritated. Steps can be taken to relieve and prevent vulvar discomfort and vaginal infections. Not all vaginal infections are alike and home treatments can worsen some types. If you have any concerns about your vulvar or vaginal health, or notice unusual changes in vaginal discharge, contact your healthcare provider if the problem persists. What is the vulva? The vulva is the area of female sex organs that lies outside of the vagina. These organs include folds of sensitive tissue called the labia (labia means "lips"). The labia has two parts. The outermost folds are called the labia majora. A secon...

Chechnya leader makes Mo Salah honorary citizen

Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov has made Egypt’s talismanic striker Mohamed Salah an honorary citizen of the southern Russian region at a farewell banquet held for the eliminated World Cup side. Rights groups and Western governments allege that authorities in Chechnya repress their political opponents, discriminate against women and persecute sexual minorities, all allegations that Chechnya’s leaders deny. Chechnya has been hosting the Egyptian team’s World Cup training camp and Kremlin-backed Kadyrov has seized on opportunities to appear alongside Salah. Sarah’s goalscoring exploits for Liverpool and Egypt have made him an international superstar. “Mohamed Salah is an honorary citizen of the Chechen Republic. “Yes, that’s right! Tonight I signed a decree conferring this high award on the great footballer and member of the Egypt and Liverpool teams,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram. Salah was presented with a badge and a copy of the decree at the dinner, Kadyrov said. The Egy...

Oil prices rise amidst uncertainty over Libyan crude exports

Oil prices rose, Tuesday on uncertainty over Libyan oil exports, although plans by producer cartel OPEC to raise output loom. Brent sweet crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, were at 74.95 dollars per barrel at 01.04 GMT, up 22 cents, or 0.3 per cent from their last close. The United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at 68.33 dollars a barrel, up 25 cents, or 0.4 per cent. Traders said prices were mostly driven higher by uncertainty around oil exports by Libya, a member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Eastern Libyan commander, Khalifa Haftar’s forces have handed control of oil ports to a separate National Oil Corporation (NOC) based in the East of the country. The official state-owned oil company based in the capital Tripoli, also called NOC, will not be allowed to handle that oil anymore, he said. In comments later confirmed to the media, Ahmed Mismari, spokesman of Haftar’s Libya National Army...

BAMY BLOG

Search This Blog