How a Relegated West Ham Defender Became a Genuine Option for Arsenal’s Back Line

Aaron Wan-Bissaka might be headed back to London. Just not the part of town he was expecting.

The former Manchester United right-back spent last season at West Ham. The Hammers are now a Championship club after getting relegated. But Wan-Bissaka’s individual performance apparently left a mark on enough people that Arsenal is at least having internal conversations about him.

According to TEAMtalk, the Gunners are looking at right-back options as they think about life after Ben White. And Wan-Bissaka’s name has come up in those discussions. Not just as a rumor floating around. There are actual internal debates happening in North London about whether he fits.

Here’s the thing about Wan-Bissaka that makes this interesting. He is still one of the best one-on-one defenders in the Premier League when healthy. That reputation held up internationally too. Playing for DR Congo in the World Cup, he didn’t get dribbled past a single time in the entire tournament. That’s not nothing.

West Ham paid United £15 million for him in 2024. The 28-year-old couldn’t save them from relegation, but individual defenders rarely can. What he can do is lock down a winger on his side of the field. That’s a specific skill set, and Arsenal’s recruitment staff seems to think it could complement Jurrien Timber well. The thinking goes: Wan-Bissaka gives Arteta another reliable defensive option specifically for dealing with elite wide attackers.

Multiple clubs are already circling. Everton and Fenerbahce have been monitoring his situation. But Arsenal is the name that moves the needle. Wan-Bissaka is expected to be available for transfer this summer. West Ham doesn’t really have leverage to keep a Premier League-caliber player who wants to stay in the top flight.

This isn’t the only former United player Arsenal has been linked with. Marcus Rashford is also reportedly on their radar. Rashford just finished a loan stint at Barcelona and is set to return to United. Club legend Nicky Butt made the case for him pretty directly on a recent podcast.

“I think it’d be a perfect fit for Marcus, Arsenal. I’d liken it to Welbeck when he went to Arsenal,” Butt said. “I think it’s a big club that they’re used to playing for and I think Marcus still has a lot (to offer), what is he, 28, 29? I think the only way he can stay at Man Utd is if they can’t get a buyer for him. But for me, if I was Arsenal I’d be signing him all day long.”

Two former United players in one window for Arsenal would be a storyline. But the Wan-Bissaka one is more interesting because it’s less obvious. He’s not a flashy signing. He’s a defensive full-back who just got relegated. But Arsenal’s internal chatter suggests they see something specific in what he does. And in a league where stopping elite wingers is half the battle, that kind of specialist might be exactly what a title-chasing team is missing.