Why Manchester United, Arsenal & Liverpool are all chasing a powerful defender worth £53mplaceholder image
Why Manchester United, Arsenal & Liverpool are all chasing a powerful defender worth £53m | Getty Images
Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool are all said to be monitoring the same defender - but is he worth £53m, and will they make a move this January?
We’re getting close enough to the January transfer window that we’re starting to get a relatively clear picture of Premier League teams’ priorities – and the players that sides such as Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool might make bids for. Still, as recent reports make plain, there is time for new names to pop up and surprise us.
One such name is Wilfried Singo, who is a versatile and powerful Galatasaray defender who has suddenly been linked with all three of the aforementioned teams by new reports. But who is Singo, why would he appeal to each of those sides – and will they really make a move for him in January, as stories suggest?
Who is Wilfried Singo – and why do Manchester United, Arsenal & Liverpool all want him?
The Ivory Coast international, who turns 25 on Christmas Day, signed for Galatasaray just this summer after successful spells at both AS Monaco and Serie A side Torino, where he established himself as a regular starter at right-back while still a teenager.
Happy playing both on the right and as a centre-half – and able to cover in midfield when required, as well – Singo is blessed with plenty of the qualities that elite clubs often look for in defenders. He’s composed on the ball, capable of carrying or passing it out of defence, and blessed with impressive physical qualities, not least an extra step of pace that few top centre-halves have.
His speed off the ball and strength on it not only help him to protect the ball when in possession but make him a superb covering defender, and he racks up clearances and interceptions at a wildly impressive rate thanks to his ability not only to read the game, but to react to it and to keep up with the pacy wingers and forwards that often trouble more sluggish centre-halves.
He's also an excellent tackler who doesn’t shy away from a challenge but who seldom dives in rashly – last season, for Monaco, he succeeded with over 70% of his attempted tackles against opposing ball carriers, an exceptionally impressive mark. Between his technical quality, his physicality and his excellent defensive instincts, there are few gaps in the Ivorian’s all-round game.
There are, perhaps, limits to his dribbling skill in comparison to a typical Premier League full-back and he’s much defensive than most, preferring to make long passes down the wings rather then take it into the final third himself. Teams looking for an overlapping wing-back would be well-advised to look elsewhere.
But he’s extremely effective on the right side of a back three or in the heart of a flat back four, and that versatility means that he could appear on the shortlists of a number of teams looking for different things – but are Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool really all measuring him up ahead of a possible January move?
Will a Premier League side sign Singo this winter?
The story suggesting that those three Premier League teams are interested in Singo has been published in several outlets but originates with Turkish newspaper Sabah – a pro-government tabloid not necessarily noted as an especially reliable source.
They claim that it’s “expected” that Singo will attract offers in January despite the fact that he only moved to Turkey this summer. It’s certainly unusual for players to leave clubs so swiftly unless they struggle (which has not been the case for Singo) but the story also claims that the defender has a €60m (£53m) release clause baked into his contract, around double what Galatasaray paid Monaco for him back in August.
It's also worth noting that Singo is expected to be a part of the Ivory Coast squad which plays in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, which could prove a hindrance to negotiations. The tournament finishes on 18 January, so it doesn’t make a deal impossible should a side launch a bid, but it does add a fresh layer of unlikelihood to the chances of a winter move.
There are also individual reasons why each of the clubs said to be interested might look elsewhere. Arsenal, for instance, scarcely need another defender and barring new injuries along the back line, it’s hard to imagine them paying top dollar for a player like Singo.
Manchester United are highly likely to prioritise a midfielder or forward in January with whatever funds they have left, and with Lisandro Martínez coming back soon it’s also reasonable to suggest that a defender simply isn’t an urgent need, even if they see Singo as a good fit.
Liverpool, who need a long-term replacement for Ibrahima Konaté should he leave on a free transfer and injury cover with Giovanni Leoni out for the season, make rather more sense as a destination – and they may also have the cash to trigger Singo’s release clause should they wish. They have, however, been linked with any number of different defenders and while it’s possible they sign one, it’s difficult to say with any certainty that the Galatasaray man would be their first choice.
With little corroboration for Sabah’s story at the time of printing and several valid reasons that such a deal should not take place, we suspect that Singo won’t be on his way to England this season – but it’s eminently plausible that any or all of the teams mentioned in the gossip columns are scouting him for future reference. Singo is a very impressive player, and a big money move to the Premier League one day is perfectly possible.
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