Arsenal need to improve their defensive options at full-back and at centre-back going into the new campaign. Lisandro Martinez is the Gunners’ main target but a deal is proving hard to compete meaning Edu may need to look for alternatives.
According to The Athletic, Arsenal's priority is Martinez due to the 24-year-old's ability to play at centre-back and left-back. Martinez is reportedly keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium, and Ajax are rumoured to have rejected a bid in the region of £25million.
However, the same outlet has gone on to report that Manchester United have also registered interest in the Argentine with Erik ten Hag potentially being the deciding factor as he previously managed the defender. With a deal potentially being hijacked, Arsenal must explore alternatives, and the perfect option would be Evan Ndicka from Eintracht Frankfurt.
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If Arsenal do lose out on Martinez then Ndicka should be next in for the Gunners. 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 at the end of the current campaign, as he would have just one-year remaining on his current contract. Ndicka is valued at £21m by CIES Football Observatory.
According to German outlet BILD, Newcastle are also interested in signing Ndicka at the end of the season, while the Eintracht Frankfurt defender has also been linked with a move to Anfield and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Arsenal are currently extremely short in the centre-back positions, as Arteta only has three options. If Rob Holding departs in the summer transfer window, it would make sense for Edu to bring in an additional defender alongside William Saliba, assuming his future remains at the club following his season-long loan at Marseille.
This could be Arteta's thinking behind the potential signing of Ndicka and bringing Saliba back into the group ahead of the new campaign. Both Saliba and Ndicka are French youth internationals, and they would compliment each other perfectly due to Ndicka being a left-footed centre-back and Saliba right-footed.
Arsenal will also need to sign a full-back ahead of next season to provide more solid cover for Kieran Tierney, who has already suffered a season-ending injury this campaign. The Scotsman's current understudy, Nuno Tavares, has performed well at times but has often looked very shaky at the back.
Ndicka becomes an even more attractive signing when you consider his versatility. The youngster has also played at full-back this 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 earlier in the season.
There is potential to sign the ideal alternative to Martinez in Ndicka. It is key that Edu is proactive in this transfer window rather than reactive, so if there the Martinez deal continues to drag then it would be wise for Arteta to explore other options.
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