Arsenal identify first January transfer as Andrea Berta sets sights on priority target

Arsenal may currently be sitting at the top of the Premier League table, but already attention has turned to where the Gunners could strengthen their squad in January. The answer could lie in Germany.

According to reports, Mikel Arteta is monitoring the progress of Eintracht Frankfurt star Nathaniel Brown. The 22-year-old left-back shot to prominence as part of Germany's run to the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final in the summer, where they lost to England after extra time.

As per Now Arsenal, reports in Germany suggest that Arsenal could make an approach in January as they look to increase their defensive options, but will likely face competition from Manchester City.

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The German-American defender was born in Germany and worked his way through the leagues before shining with 1. FC Nurnberg, where he impressed as a both an attacking full-back and a left-sided centre-back.

After a successful 2022/23 season in Bundesliga 2, he was snapped up by Frankfurt in January 2024, before being loaned back to Nurnberg for the rest of the season.

Since returning to the Eagles he has kicked on in Dino Toppmöller’s side, making 32 Bundesliga appearances last season, where he helped to keep 12 clean sheets and weighed in with three assists.

As a result, the 22-year-old was rewarded with a new contract that runs until 2030 and is understood to be valued at around £19million.

Arsenal's sporting director Andrea Berta could see Brown as exactly the type of player Arteta would want to add to his talented squad, providing further competition for Myles Lewis-Skelly and Riccardo Calafiori. With Brown now on a long-term contract, Frankfurt are likely to demand a sizeable fee for their sought-after player. However, talks could begin ahead of the January transfer window.

Pressure is on Arteta to deliver another trophy to north London after almost six years in the manager's hotseat, but his team currently sits top of the Premier League table and hopes are high that the Spaniard can end the club's five-year trophy drought.