Arsenal eyeing Championship starlet sensation
Following an emphatic start to his Championship career, Lewis Dunk is attracting the attention of numerous Premier League outfits, with Arsenal emerging as the latest candidates.
The 20 year-old is contracted to Brighton & Hove Albion until the summer of 2013 but Arsene Wenger is hoping to tempt him into exiting the deal early as he looks to solve some defensive inconsistencies.
The Gunners have been surprisingly unfortunate with injuries this season and have found themselves short at the back because of it.
Despite the summer signings of Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos, the club have been forced to start players out of their natural positions.
Kieran Gibbs continues to spend time on the injury table and Andre Santos’ three month absence has meant that Thomas Vermaelen has been filling in at left-back.
Arsene Wenger has been able to use the likes Mertesacker, Lorient Koscielny, Ignasi Miquel and Johan Djourou in the centre of defence, but the quartet still look vulnerable at times.
Dunk has played a key part in Brighton’s impressive start to the campaign, making the AMEX Stadium somewhat of a fortress for periods.
The youngster currently finds himself embroiled in a sexual assault charge, but should the results of the hearing come out in his favour, the starlet may be available for a move.
Dunk recently made his debut for the England Under-21 side and is being tipped by many as competition for a future place in the England squad.
If the Gunners decide it would be prudent to purchase another up and coming player as they have done so often in the past, his signature would be expected to cost around £2m but Gus Poyet may prove a hard guardian in the sale of his stalwart.
