The early moments of the 2025 summer transfer window have seen history repeat itself at Arsenal.
Some fans are growing concerned at the positions that Arsenal are moving to strengthen early into the window, with goalkeepers, midfielders, and defenders targeted.
Mikel Arteta pleaded for a striker in January, and the need to bolster the front line has only grown, with at least one winger and one number nine expected.
For now, Arsenal are strengthening in other areas while Andrea Berta assesses the Gunners’ options in attack, with the opening round of arrivals set to be those away from the front three.
Arsenal have made contact with Cristhian Mosquera, but the Valencia centre-back isn’t the only defender on Berta’s radar.
Arsenal are interested in Evan Ndicka
Reports from La Gazetta dello Sport in Italy, as relayed by Sport Witness, point to Roma centre-back Evan Ndicka being an option for the Gunners.
The report claims that Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle are ‘interested’ in signing the Ivorian defender this summer.
Roma need to promptly offload players to generate funds, with Ndicka considered a favourable option to let go due to his £30m valuation, set by the Italian club.
It’s unclear whether Arsenal will approach Roma to buy the 25-year-old, with it understood that the three interested Premier League clubs are ‘looking’ and not actively working to buy the defender at this moment.
Interestingly, Arteta’s admiration for the player is traceable back to 2020, as the Gunners eyed Ndicka while he was at Eintracht Frankfurt.
At the time, The Express claimed that Arsenal had an advantage over other interested clubs in the race to sign the Ivory Coast international, who was only 20 at the time of Arteta’s first reported interest.
The report, which was published in March 2020, noted that Arteta already had one defender on his way to Arsenal that summer, as William Saliba was set to return from his loan spell at Saint-Etienne.
Mikel Arteta could’ve ended William Saliba’s Arsenal career by signing Ndicka in 2020
Things could’ve been so different for Arsenal had Ndicka arrived in 2020, particularly when it comes to where the transfer would’ve left Saliba.
Just six months after being welcomed back to the Emirates from his loan at Saint-Etienne, Saliba returned to France to spend the second half of the 2020/21 campaign with OGC Nice.
Had Ndicka arrived that summer as a 20-year-old prospect himself, it would’ve been fascinating to see how Arteta would’ve handled Saliba, who didn’t earn any game time at Arsenal until 2022.
| William Saliba | Statistic | Evan Ndicka |
| 35 | Appearances | 38 |
| 12 | Clean sheets | 16 |
| 0.6 | Interceptions | 0.9 |
| 1.8 | Tackles | 0.8 |
| 3.4 | Clearances | 3.8 |
| 0.2 | Dribbled past | 0.2 |
| 66% | Ground duels won | 53% |
| 62% | Aerial duels won | 55% |
The Frenchman slotted into the squad perfectly in the 2022/23 season, as the likes of Rob Holding, Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari needed upgrading.
That being said, if Ndicka had become an Arsenal player before Arteta had the chance to properly assess Saliba, it’s difficult to envisage where his future would’ve lain.
After a third loan spell, Marseille wanted to sign the Frenchman permanently in 2022, which, had there been more competition back in N5, could’ve been feasible.
Fortunately, the perfect narrative played out as Saliba rapidly became a hero at Arsenal, and now, five years later, Ndicka could join the 24-year-old in Arteta’s squad.
from Arsenal Transfer News | Rumours, Deals & Targets | Arsenal Insider
Rosie Tudball