Arsenal will be on the market for a new defender as soon as the season ends. According to Metro, Wenger is keen on signing 27 year old Benedikt Howedes who was on the Frenchman’s list last summer as well. The center back who has spent most of his career playing for Schalke is rumored to have a pretty reasonable buy-out clause which might allow him to move ahead of his contractual deadline. With 2 years left out of his deal with the German side, Howedes could be ready to say his goodbyes to the club which introduced him to football. He has been performing for Schalke since 2007, time in which he made 269 appearances and scored 20 times.

Howedes is rumored to have a release clause of about £12.5m which only leaves the matter of persuading him to come to London. The money should not be an issue for Arsenal who should not pass up such an opportunity. The German International is experienced, accurate in his tackles and efficient. He is currently being targeted by Manchester United and Tottenham as well but for different reasons. While Arsenal need a strong defender to become Wenger’s number one choices, the other two teams are looking for a substitute which they saw in Howedes. The problem with the 27 year old is that he is very unlikely to go through an entire Premier League season without picking up any injury whatsoever. In his time spent in Germany where the domestic competition is nowhere near as physically challenging as it is in the UK, the center back spent time on the bench each and every season. Since 2010 he does not have a full season played without at least 20 days out due to muscle problems or other physical issues. With that in mind, Arsenal should demote Howedes to their 3^rd or 4^th choice as a transfer target.