Arsenal failed to meet West Brom’s asking price for Jonny Evans, says manager Tony Pulis.
Evans was a target for Arsenal during the summer, provided that Shkodran Mustafi left the club for Inter Milan.
Mustafi ended up staying, so the deal for Evans didn’t happen. However, Tony Pulis has a different version of the story and claims that Arsenal didn’t meet West Brom’s valuation of the 29-year-old.
“It was very important [to keep him],” Pulis said, as reported by The Daily Star.
“The bottom line with Jonny Evans – Arsenal were interested and Manchester City were interested – is they never met the value the football club wanted.
“If they had met a value it might have been a different situation.
“I’m pleased, obviously, that Jonny stayed. He has got to knuckle down now, get back in the team, and start showing everybody what a good player he is again.
“I hope we can offer him a new contract and tie him down, we will speak next week about what Jonny is thinking and what he wants to do.”
It’s possible that Arsenal were negotiating with West Brom while Mustafi leaving was a real possibility.
If Pulis’ words are anything to go by, it doesn’t seem like Arsenal were close to getting a deal done.
Arsenal had an interest in Evans last summer as well, but again didn’t make a satisfactory offer to West Brom.
Now that they’ve fended off interest from big clubs two summers in a row, West Brom will be confident of extending Evans’ contract.
A new contract, plus the fact he’ll be 30 soon, will likely spell the end of any interest from Arsenal or Manchester City.
Evans was part of the West Brom team that went down 3-1 to newly promoted Brighton on Saturday.