Newcastle have seriously threatened Arsenal’s position to become a Champions League club in recent months. This has been done both on and off the pitch via the transfer market.
And this could be set to continue as the Magpies are reportedly targeting the ideal defensive signing for Arsenal. According to French news outlet Foot 365 via Get French Football News, Newcastle watched Eintracht Frankfurt defend Evan Ndicka in the Europa League final last night and continues to maintain a strong interest in the defender.
This comes after German outlet BILD had reported earlier in the season that Arsenal had also registered interest in the defender. If Newcastle were to beat the Gunners to his signature, then it would not be the first time they have disrupted the north London’s side plans.
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Eddie Howe added Bruno Guimaraes to his team in the January transfer window, despite Arsenal also reportedly being interested in the midfielder, which caused unrest amongst the fanbase. The Gunners failed to sign a midfielder in the winter window, which made losing out on Guimaraes feel even worse for the north London side, as he certainly would have improved Mikel Arteta’s midfield, who will be set to suffer from a lack of depth in the summer, due to the huge number of offloads in this position.
The same situation must not be repeated with Ndicka. The Frenchman would be an excellent addition to the squad if Edu continues to pursue a deal.
The Gunners could require a defender in the summer amid the uncertain futures of William Saliba and Rob Holding, which leaves Arsenal incredibly short in the defensive positions. Ndicka’s potential and versatility could be a tempting factor for Edu to complete a deal.
The Frenchman's contract is set to expire at the end of the 2022/2023 season. This 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.
Arsenal are currently extremely short in the centre-back positions, as Arteta only has three options. If Holding departs at the end of the season, it would make sense for Edu to bring in an additional defender alongside William Saliba, assuming his future remains at the club once his season-long loan ends at Marseille.
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.
The Frenchman was be a good signing for Arsenal but they cannot afford to lose out on him to Newcastle in a similar fashion to Guimaraes. The Magpies are set to be direct rivals to Arsenal after their major ownership takeover, and if they continue to steal Edu’s transfer targets, then this only brings them closer to competing with the Gunners.
