Arsenal Reportedly Showing Interest In New York Red Bulls Tim Ream

Arsenal has reportedly shown interest in acquiring New York Red Bulls centerback Tim Ream. According to at least one report, that interest was strong enough that they actually put in two bids for his services that were rejected by MLS. At the very least, there seems to be agreement that Arsenal is keeping an eye on the 23-year-old.

It is worth noting that Ream would likely have a hard time getting a work visa in England. Generally, the rule is that a player must have appeared in 75 percent of his national team's games to get a work permit. There are special dispensations where a team can argue that the player is better than the average EPL defender.

It would seem tough to make that argument with Ream, who has only six caps with the United States National Team and has only appeared in half of their games since he made his debut back in November 2010. During the summer's Gold Cup, he started the first two games, but did not get off the bench in the final four matches. He also did not appear in the USMNT's most recent friendly against Mexico.