Mikel Arteta personally wants Arsenal to sign “amazing” £42m ace in January

Amid recent injuries threatening to expose his side’s squad depth, Mikel Arteta now reportedly wants Arsenal to sign another versatile defender in the January transfer window.

Arsenal transfer news

Whilst the Gunners had no reason to panic in the summer transfer window, recent injuries to Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori have begged the question as to whether they should have brought in further reinforcements. Of course, any concerns were eased by their resilient 1-0 victory in the North London derby over Tottenham Hotspur, but that doesn’t mean the January window isn’t one to watch.

If those in North London want to compete on all fronts, then a January boost will undoubtedly help. After all, Arteta’s side are up against the winning machine that is Pep Guardiola’s winning machine, who they face this Sunday.

In the biggest match across the Premier League campaign so far, Arsenal could gain a crucial edge over the champions in pursuit of making it a third time lucky in their challenge to dethrone City. There’s still a long way to go no matter what though, and January could make all the difference.

According to reports relayed by Football 365, Arteta now personally wants Arsenal to sign Jules Kounde from Barcelona in January, with the Spaniard of the belief that the Frenchman would be the final piece to unlocking a side capable of competing on all fronts.

What’s more, Arsenal are reportedly prepared to bid as much as €50m (£42m) to test Barcelona’s resolve in the winter window. Kounde, who can play both right-back and centre-back to match the trend of Arsenal defenders, is still only 25 years old and would offer Arteta the ultimate depth within his backline.

With another defender potentially on his way, perhaps Arteta is aiming to prove that attack wins you games and defence wins you titles to finally dethrone Manchester City.

“Amazing” Kounde would be upgrade on White

As impressive as Ben White has been since arriving in 2021, Kounde would give Arteta plenty to think about down that right-hand side and potentially leave White without a place. The Frenchman impressed at Euro 2024 and even earned the praise of former manager Xavi at Barcelona last season.

The Spaniard said via Barca Blaugranes after Kounde did exceptionally well up against Kylian Mbappe: “He was one of the transfers that I asked for. He’s one of the best defenders in the world right now. Stopping Mbappé was a collective effort. Kounde did amazing against Mbappé but Lamine [Yamal] also helped him a lot.”

The battle between the right-backs would certainly be one to watch if Arsenal did make their move for Kounde in January and that competition would be no bad thing. Likely pushing White on even further, Arteta’s side would only benefit from having two players of such high quality down the right-hand side.