Edu Gaspar is close to securing Arsenal’s first signing of the January transfer window with the club coming close to signing Ukrainian star Mykhailo Mudryk.

Mikel Arteta will be eyeing up a few more deals however, with another midfielder and forward on the list to increase squad depth and take the pressure off of the young shoulders of Eddie Nketiah – who is deputising for the injured Gabriel Jesus.

Could a new defender also be on the cards for the North London side too? According to German journalist Christian Falk, Arsenal are in talks with Evan Ndicka and his representatives ahead of a potential move.

Falk told Caught Offside:

“I think there’s a good chance that he’ll sign this contract but there are many clubs interested at the moment, one of them is Arsenal. It’s not so concrete that Frankfurt are really afraid of losing him.”

His contract expires at the end of the season so Arteta could secure his services on a pre-contract agreement this summer otherwise they will have to pay the £20m Eintracht Frankfurt have set as the asking price.

Imagine him and William Saliba

Arsenal currently have the second-best defensive record in the Premier League this season, conceding only 14 goals, however, Arteta is clearly always on the lookout to strengthen and Ndicka could form an excellent partnership with Saliba.

The Frenchman has been superb this term, keeping seven clean sheets in 17 appearances while registering 1.5 tackles, 3.1 clearances, and 0.6 interceptions as well as winning an impressive 64% of his total duels.

At just 21 years of age, he is showing fine development, and with Ndicka alongside him, he could continue to improve and learn from his fellow compatriot.

The 23-year-old centre-back was described as both a “leader” and “incredible” by reporter Christopher Michael has enjoyed a solid, if unspectacular campaign in the Bundesliga.

He has kept just two clean sheets across 15 matches but has made 5.3 clearances, 0.9 tackles, and 1.0 interceptions along with winning 3.9 duels per match – at a success rate of 54%.

The Frenchman does however rank in the top 20% for blocks, clearances and aerials won across Europe’s top five leagues compared to positional peers, and managing to secure someone of his talent for free will surely excite Arteta.

A duo of Saliba and Ndicka could be one that the Arsenal faithful will see for years to come and it could prove to be extremely successful judging by their respective abilities.