Patrice Evra Backs Manu Kone for Arsenal Amid Guimaraes Interest
Patrice Evra knows what it takes to survive in English midfield battles. He lived through them, thrived in them, and won almost everything there was to win with Manchester United. So when he looks at Manu Kone and says the Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder is built for the Premier League, people listen.
The former France international has urged his compatriot to set his sights on north London, and specifically on Arsenal, if he chooses to make the leap.
“I like Manu Kone's profile for the Premier League. He has energy, he carries the ball, he likes duels and he works for the team,” Evra told Stake, breaking down the attributes that, in his eyes, would translate seamlessly to English football.
That list reads like a checklist for a modern Premier League midfielder: legs to cover ground, courage to take the ball under pressure, and a willingness to do the dirty work. Evra stressed that those qualities matter even more in a league where the tempo rarely drops.
“The Premier League is faster. You don't get time to breathe. So the important thing is adaptation. Don't judge him after five games,” he warned, a nod to the unforgiving scrutiny that greets any big-money arrival.
For Evra, the fit with Arsenal depends on one key factor: how Mikel Arteta would use him.
“If he goes to Arsenal with a manager who knows how to use him, I think he can do well. He definitely has the tools. Then it is about consistency.”
The message is clear. Kone, in Evra’s view, has the raw material. The rest would come down to coaching, patience and his own ability to deliver every three days in a title-chasing environment.
Arsenal, though, have their gaze fixed elsewhere.
While Evra talks up Kone’s potential move to the Emirates, the club’s recruitment team is locked in on Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes, who has reportedly agreed personal terms with the Premier League champions. The Brazilian has become one of the most coveted midfielders in Europe, and Arsenal are pushing hard to bring him into Arteta’s engine room.
If Evra is backing Kone, another French great is firmly in Guimaraes’ corner.
Claude Makelele, speaking to ComeOn, made no attempt to hide his admiration for the Newcastle man or his belief that Arsenal is the natural next step.
“Bruno Guimaraes is an ambitious player who sees his career one way: Champions League football, always, and teams built to win titles in Europe,” Makelele said, underlining the standards Guimaraes now sets for himself.
In Makelele’s eyes, Arsenal match that ambition.
“Arsenal tick every box. They won the Premier League, they've gone deep in the Champions League, and they're built to go again. It's always right for a good player to join a great team, and Arsenal have done great business.”
That line will resonate in north London. Under Arteta, Arsenal have rebuilt their reputation as a destination for elite talent, a club with a clear identity and a squad capable of competing at the top end of Europe.
For Makelele, Guimaraes is not just a good signing. He is the right type of signing.
“Bruno Guimaraes is a very good player, exceptional, as we saw with Brazil. It's his career and his decision, but his game fits Arsenal perfectly.”
Two former greats, two different midfielders, one club at the centre of it all.
Evra sees in Manu Kone the energy and edge to crash into the Premier League and grow into it, given time and the right guidance. Makelele looks at Bruno Guimaraes and sees a ready-made Champions League operator, a player already shaped for the biggest stages and the biggest nights.
Arsenal, for now, are prioritising the proven article in Guimaraes. If they get him, the midfield Arteta has been sculpting starts to look even more formidable. If they don’t, voices like Evra’s will only grow louder around names such as Kone, players viewed as the next wave rather than the finished product.
Either way, the message from two of the finest midfield minds of their generation is unmistakable: the Emirates is once again a place where elite midfielders belong.
