West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis has confirmed that Arsenal did make an offer for centre back Jonny Evans before the close of the transfer window.
The Baggies boss also revealed that the Gunners were unable to meet the club’s valuation of the player, with Manchester City also failing to match their demands prior to the window shutting. He was quoted by the Mirror as saying:
“It was very important we kept him. Although the bottom line is that Man City and Arsenal were interested, they just never met the valuation the football club wanted.”
Evans was also reportedly a target for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger last summer, but on both occasions the Gunners were unable to meet West Brom’s valuation.
It seems as though Arsenal were looking at Evans as a possible replacement for Shkodran Mustafi. The German international was the subject of a season long loan offer from Inter Milan on the days leading up to deadline day.
The Serie A club’s sporting director Piero Ausilio however confirmed that the Italian club were unable to match the Gunners’ asking price for the defender, leading to the deal collapsing. The fact that Mustafi remained at the club may have also played a part in Arsenal ending their pursuit of Evans.
