What started off with the signature of Alexis Sanchez, has ended with the rather disappointing last minute signature of Manchester Unite outcast Danny Welbeck. After the transfer window the whole football world is of the opinion that manager Arsene Wenger has not done enough to back the transfer with an overall strengthening of the squad. Apparently it seems that Arsenal are short on a number of fields including the defensive midfield and most notably the centre backs. The situation is so dire that Calum Chambers has to play in that position as the additional centre back and this is not the ideal situation that Wenger would have wanted.
Among all this, there has been rumour that Arsenal are scouting veteran defender Mario Yepes of Colombia and he can sign for the club. Since he is a free agent, he could sign for the club even after the transfer deadline. Now ideally would you want a 38 year old player with no Premier League experience in him to be at your club? Ideally no, but still we feel that Mario Yepes is the best that Arsenal can do at the moment and here we give three reasons why Arsenal should sign Yepes at this moment.
Wealth of experience- Mario Yepes is one of the most senior defenders around who has played at some of the best clubs of the world. He was at PSG for 4 season playing 115 matches in the process. In 2010 he joined AC Milan and has plied his trade with some of the most well known players of this generation there. Yepes brings in a certain maturity with him in the side and he can help the young players like Chambers to groom at Arsenal. His enormous experience would also allow him to get adjusted to the demands of the league a lot faster than the others.
His capability at this age- Mario Yepes is 38 years old, but there is just no reason to think that he is finished yet. He was one of the standout performers for Colombia in the World Cup and was also the skipper of his side. He was a regular at his last club Atlanta and he would be more than useful in Arsenal where he would have to do the occasional job or the cup matches. He may be well past his prime, but Yepes still knows a thing or two about defending and Arsenal can exploit that.
The free agent- Arsenal have plenty of cash at hand and spending on the right player would not be a dilemma for the management. But then if you can manage without the need to throw away ludicrous amount of money like PSG did on Luiz, when what is the harm? Mario Yepes would be just a back up at Arsenal and the astute financial manager that Wenger is, he understands the value of free agents like Yepes. A one year deal with very modest age looks realistic and Arsenal have nothing to lose from this.