Would Jose Enrique be a good replacment for Gael Clichy?

Gael Clichy looks set to leave Arsenal,and join either Liverpool or Roma. The French left back became the first choice when Cashley Cole made the trip across London to join Chelski. Gael made an outstanding start to his career and instantly became a fans favorite, with many fans believing he would go on to be as good as Cashley Cole.

At the time this looked very possible but after a couple of brilliant seasons,it became clear that Gael would never become a world class left back. In the last couple of seasons, he has been prone to the odd major error. He has been an excellent servant for the Arsenal,and it will be a sad day for the club when he leaves. It is very likely however,as the Frenchman only has one year left on his contract. Gael has expressed his desire to leave and Arsene is looking to cash in this Summer rather than see another Frenchman leave on a free transfer, like Flamini.

There have been a variety of players linked with Arsenal as a replacement for Gael Clichy. At this present time Jose Enrique looks to be the most likely candidate. He is a dynamic full back, who would definitely add far more offensively than Gael. Gael has never lacked pace but his final ball, always leaves a lot to be desired. He is also a solid defender and would be available at a reasonable price. We are likely to get around £7 Million for Clichy, and we could get Enrique for around the same price.

My personal choice to fill the left back spot would be Leighton Baines of Everton. I believe he has been the best left back in the country over the past couple of years. He is an excellent defender, and would offer a great option for set pieces. Instead of Van Persie constantly blasting the ball over the bar. He is however going to be considerably more expensive and if Man City are interested then there is no way we could match the transfer and contract offer they would put on the table.

Another far cheaper option would be to move Thomas Vermaelen to left back. He played there for Ajax and still does for Belgium. He would clearly do a very good job at left back, but I can only see this happening if we sign both Samba and Cahill which is looking unlikely. Therefore Enrique is the most likely and sensible option and I believe it is very likely we will see him lining up alongside Vermaelen and co next season at the Emirates Stadium.