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Name: Winston Reid
Age: 26
Current Club: West Ham (EPL)
International Career: After a little bit of time with the Danish youth, Reid declared himself a Kiwi and has made 18 appearances with the New Zealand team, vying to make the All-Whites the Kings of Oceania.
Position: Center back, but can also slot in at right back
FIFA video game rating: 75
Transfermarkt value: Currently £6 million, though West Ham, in the interest of protecting him in the January transfer window, are raising his value to a yeah-right-worthy £20 million.
What the papers are saying: There have been rumors swirling around Reid since he's in the last year of his contract, with both Liverpool and Arsenal reportedly interested in his services. BBC Sport reported yesterday that Big Sam wants to protect his center back from all wad-waving comers.
What WhoScored thinks of him: In 14 appearances this year, he's averaging a 7.17 rating and one nod for Man of the Match. He has 1.9 interceptions and 1.1 tackles, and 8.9 clearances per game, which makes him a damn clearance machine.
What he looks like in edited-for-maximum-oooooh-factor video:
Spendy McWarchester Excitement Level (SMEL) Index: 8 of 10 Bags-o'-Euros, as he's being priced at more than three times his value, and Winston Reid sounds like the sort of chap Spendy would meet for brandy and cigars at the Wham "Last Christmas" Ski Chalet.
Our two pence: Laurent Koscielny has a tweaked Achilles, Calum Chambers is still young and prone to errors, and Per Mertesacker seems less of a rock in defense than he was last year. Could we rely on Reid to anchor an Arsenal defense? £20 million seems a lot to spend for a third or fourth-choice option at center back -- and as the Guardian pointed out cheekily a few days ago, why would Reid settle for a mid-table club like Arsenal or 'Pool when he's got the promise of Champions League football next year? Yet, at a price closer to his actual valuation, he could provide needed squad depth for those of us who think Arsenal should feature 94 rather than 7 defenders in its first-team squad.