William Saliba had been sensational for Arsenal so far in the early weeks of the campaign. The Frenchman had bought a sense of calmness and assertiveness to Mikel Arteta’s defence which was evidently lacking last season. More interestingly, he has also added speed to the backline, which is also crucial to playing a high line.
However, the 21-year-old has had a difficult spell recently as proven in Arsenal’s match against Southampton and against PSV where the Gunners lost their first Europa League game. It is clear that Saliba needs to be taken out of the limelight every so often due to his age, as playing Thursday and Sunday is having an impact on him, just like it is for many players in the team.
But, with the lack of quality options in the centre-back department, it means that the Frenchman is forced to play in the midweek fixtures, alongside Rob Holding who is not at the level required for Arsenal to compete with the top teams in Europe, which also puts more pressure on Saliba to lead the defence. It is because of this that Edu must use the January transfer window to ease the pressure on Saliba.
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According to The Athletic, Arsenal's priority was Lisandro Martinez due to the 24-year-old's ability to play at centre-back and left-back. Martinez was reportedly keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium, and Ajax are rumoured to have rejected a bid in the region of £25million.
However, Manchester United swooped in and signed the Argentine, which left the Gunners unable to sign a player in this position during the summer. However, with January fast approaching, Edu has another chance to sign a player in this position and the deal incoming could be Evan Ndicka after The Daily Express had claimed that the Gunners are interested in the defender.
The Frenchman’s contract is set to expire at the end of the 2022/2023 season, which means that the Gunners can sign him on a cut-price deal in January or on a pre-contract for a free transfer for him to join at the end of campaign. The Daily Express have quoted the defender to cost around £7million for a January deal.
Arteta’s defence has looked much more assured compared to previous seasons. The introduction of Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko to the side has enhanced the backline.
Despite the starting quartet of Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Zinchenko proving to be solid in the early weeks of the season, the understudies to these players still need addressing, especially the left-centre back role.
But Zinchenko has missed Arsenal’s last seven fixtures due to calf injury that he suffered earlier in the season, and the hectic fixture schedule has meant that Arteta has had to chop and change his backline. And for the first time in recent weeks, the defence has shown real signs of vulnerability whenever it is rotated.
Gabriel was forced to start in the opening Europa League group stage tie against FC Zurich and then in the Gunners' first home match against FK Bodo/Glimt as Arsenal do not have another left-footed centre-back in the team who can replace the Brazilian, which could ultimately lead to fatigue later on in the season. But, Edu can address this dilemma in January by exploring a deal for Ndicka.
The Frenchman becomes an even more attractive signing when you consider his versatility. The youngster also played at full-back last season and was very impressive in this role against Barcelona at the Camp Nou when Frankfurt famously won 4-1 against the Catalan side in the quarter-final of the Europa League in the last campaign.
Considering his cheap price tag, Ndicka can be a quick fix for the Gunners. Holding is not a good enough rotation option as proved in Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat against PSV on Thursday evening. But, Ndicka has shown on the European stage what quality he possesses, and it is a deal that Edu should look to explore.
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