The January transfer window may have ended last week, and Arsenal may not have played for over two weeks, but that has not stopped the transfer rumour mill from turning at the Emirates.
The focus of the speculation this time has been right back Djed Spence who topped off his man of the match performance with a goal during Nottingham Forest's 4-1 win over Leicester in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday.
This builds on the Middlesbrough loanee's fine display in Forest's shock 1-0 victory over the Gunners in the competition's last round that grabbed the attention of supporters across the country.
And now it seems that the 21-year-old could have some admirers in the Arsenal hierarchy as well.
Reports have suggested that Spence - who is a childhood friend of Emile Smith Rowe - could be subject of interest from the Gunners who could be in the market for a right back this summer.
Calum Chambers left the club permanently for Aston Villa last month, while it is not expected that either Ainsley Maitland-Niles or Hector Bellerin will return to the Emirates when their respective loan spells with Roma and Real Betis come to an end this summer.
Meanwhile sources close to Cedric have revealed to football.london that the Portuguese international is not closing any doors on a potential exit, meaning that Arsenal could be on the look out for a back up to Takehiro Tomiyasu.
From the outset it's easy to see why Spence could be the right man for the job.
Edu made a concerted effort to sign a younger profile of players last summer with all of Tomiyasu, Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Martin Odegaard being aged 23-and-under at the time of their arrival. At just 21-years-of-age Spence fits into this policy perfectly.
On top of that the Middlesbrough loanee is capable of playing either left back or right back which could make him an increasingly viable asset. When citing a reason for the signing of Tavares last summer, Mikel Arteta revealed that his versatility was a key factor in the decision.
Spence's quality is also not in question after his recent displays in the FA Cup. These have caught the eye of Arsenal legend Ian Wright in particular.
"I saw him after the game [against Arsenal] and said 'listen, my friend, you're on loan from Middlesbrough and I don't know what's happened there, because if you can't get into the Middlesbrough side, I don't know what's wrong, so I need to know the full story'," he said on on Wrighty’s House podcast, after Forest's win against the Gunners last month.
"But let me say, that was one of the best right back performances I have seen for a very long time. A very long time.
"If we are talking about right-backs performing at an unbelievable level, we're talking Reece James and Trent [Alexander-Arnold].
"But I have not seen a combative, technical, swashbuckling performance like that for a very long time."
However, it is these eye-catching traits to Spence's game that mean a transfer to the Emirates appears unlikely.
With Kieran Tierney 's aggressive forward runs on the left side of defence, Arteta has shown himself to be a fan of a more conservative approach on the right.
It was this that saw the Spaniard decide to opt for Tomiyasu over Emerson Royal when Arsenal were linked to both on transfer deadline day in the summer.
As well as providing more defensive cover, the 'inverted full back' offers the chance for an extra passing option in the build up of attacks, and is one of the many Pep Guardiola principles that Arteta has sought to bring to the Emirates since his arrival at the end of 2019.
According to WhoScored, Spence has averaged just a 75.2% passing accuracy during his games this season for both Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest, meaning that he may struggle to adapt to the Arsenal manager's demands.
That does not mean his chances of a move to North London are over however.
The 21-year-old appears to be much more of an obvious fit for Tottenham as Antonio Conte seeks to put his own stamp on his new side.
The Italian has generally preferred a 3-4-3 throughout his managerial career and has shown a penchant for having aggressive, athletic players in the wing back positions. It is for this reason that Spurs were in for Adama Traore during the January transfer window, only to see the Spaniard opt for a return to Barcelona instead.
football.london understands that Tottenham's Managing Director of Football Fabio Paratici was in attendance at the City Ground for Sunday's win, meaning a summer move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could well be on the cards for Spence.
