West Ham United have enquired about a permanent deal for Arsenala s Carl Jenkinson but have been quoted a hefty A?12 million fee.
Jenkinson was sent on loan to West Ham till the end of the season so that he could get some game time, and he has been in real good form throughout the year. Sam Allardyce obviously sees him as a very important part of the team and is impressed enough to have approached Arsenal with a possible permanent transfer.
However, Carl Jenkinson, being a boyhood Arsenal fan, may not want to move away from the club. But he would not be completely averse to such a move however, if it means his career can be saved.
In a recent interview, Jenkinson had suggested the reason he made the loan switch was because he was tired of sitting on the substitutes for many games at a time.
“I didn’t want to have another season sitting on the bench,” he said. “It was starting to drive me up the wall a little bit, I wanted to get out and play football, and I’ve realised that I’m happiest when I’m playing regular football.
“I didn’t want to go on loan to a team that was just going to kick the ball long. I wanted to go to a team where I was going to learn and improve and I think I’m definitely doing that here at West Ham.
“We focus on defending in training and we do a lot of work on one-v-ones and heading and I feel I’ve developed in those areas. He’s given me the licence to get forward and express myself. I know what I’m capable of.”
With competition heating up for his place in the team, he may look at the possibility of agreeing to the permanent move to West Ham. He already has to contend with Mathieu Debuchy for the place at Right Back, but he now also has competition from Hector Bellerin, who has impressed Arsene and the fans alike with his displays following the Frenchmana s injury.
This competition is without even considering the possibility of Calum Chambers being seen as an option at Right Back. However, that risk may be lesser considering Arsene sees him more as a central defender and possibly as a central defensive midfielder.
However, Jenkinson may feel happy with the valuation that Arsenal gave for him, showing that the club still considers him a good player to have in the team, and are in no hurry to dispose of him.