Despite Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admitting the club had received no bids for center back Daniel Agger over the summer, reports in the UK suggest Arsenal and Tottenham are battling it out for the Dane.
Agger, 29, was courted by Barcelona but they instead signed Thomas Vermaelen from Arsenal on Saturday. So the Gunners are looking to replace Vermaelen with Agger, while Tottenham Hotspur are also on the lookout for another central defender.
The Daily Express claims that Agger “has his heart set” on a move to the Emirates, while a local publication in Essex claims Tottenham are chasing Agger.
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Last season Agger, Liverpool’s vice-captain, fell out of favor after injury and the likes of Martin Skrtel, Kolo Toure and Mamadou Sakho jumped ahead of him in the pecking order. The Reds have splashed $35 million on Croatian center back Dejan Lovren from Southampton this summer and that has pushed Agger further down the pecking order.
So, where should Agger go?
If he’s after regular soccer then Spurs would be the better option. Arsenal have Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker as first choice center backs, while youngster Calum Chambers has had a promising start at the heart of Arsenal’s defense in preseason. However Gunners boss Arsene Wenger sees Chambers as a holding midfielder and told the press after Arsenal’s Community Shield win that he intends to shop around for a new center back after Vermaelen’s $25 million departure.
Agger could challenge to be a starter for Arsenal but if he wants to play regularly in the Premier League and be a leader on a team that really needs him, he should sign for Spurs and partner one from Jan Vertonghen, Younes Kaboul and Michael Dawson.
Time will tell where Agger ends up, but he certainly seems to be a man in demand. Even if Rodgers claims Liverpool have had no offers for him.
