Fears over William Gallas see Arsene Wenger eye £15m replacement

James Olley
18 Nov 2009

Arsenal have identified Borussia Dortmund centre-half Neven Subotic as a long-term replacement for William Gallas as fears grow the Frenchman could leave the club for nothing in the summer.

And the Gunners have problems elsewhere in defence after Kieran Gibbs injured his ankle during England Under-21s' 0-0 draw with Lithuania last night, leaving the Premier League side desperately short at left-back.

Gallas, 32, is under contract until the summer and although talks on a new one-year deal are expected to start next month, Standard Sport understands that early indications suggest he is keen to move abroad.

It is thought Gallas wants a longer contract and he will not be short of offers should he decide to run down his deal and leave the club.

Both AC Milan and Inter Milan were linked with Gallas when he appeared on the brink of quitting after losing the captaincy almost a year ago, while he has in the past hinted at a return to France. The Gunners have been tracking Subotic since he joined Mainz as a teenager and he has impressed at Dortmund, where in June he signed a new deal until 2014.

Manchester City, Manchester United, Inter and Juventus are also eyeing the 20-year-old, who would cost at least £15million.

Arsene Wenger sees the 6ft 4in Serbia centre-half as having the potential to become the bedrock of his defence for years to come. But it is unlikely any move will take place in January as Dortmund are unwilling to sell during the season while Wenger will concentrate on persuading Gallas to stay.

Today, Wenger was waiting for the results of Gibbs's X-ray, which if they show a serious injury would cause big problems for Arsenal.
First-choice left-back Gael Clichy is out for several weeks with a stress fracture in his back which means either Mikael Silvestre, who has played only twice this season, or Armand Traore, who has played just once, must deputise.