Arsenal Transfer News: Arteta eyes £50m star as defensive shake-up looms

Arsenal are reportedly plotting a defensive shake-up that could lead to a big change for one of their up-and-coming stars.

The Gunners are riding high atop the Premier League table, with the league leaders stretching their advantage over Manchester City to seven points following the Citizens’ derby defeat at Old Trafford.

While the north Londoners could have taken full advantage by beating Nottingham Forest, they remain in the boxseat for their first league title under Mikel Arteta.

And although the here and now will be at the forefront of the Spaniard’s mind, there are still eyes on the future in N5, as emerging reports on the Gunners’ transfer plans suggest there could be some intriguing changes on the horizon.

According to CaughtOffside, Frankfurt defender Nathaniel Brown is on Arsenal’s transfer shortlist as they seek to bulk up their defence.

Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie arrived in north London to bring some much-needed depth to the backline over the summer.

Unfortunately, the newcomers have been among the players spending time in the treatment room, putting that depth to the test as Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White have continued their fitness battles at times this term.

But despite Arsenal appearing to look to recruit at the back, Brown’s arrival from the German Bundesliga could yet allow a Gunners starlet to shift further up the pitch.

Myles Lewis-Skelly was a revelation for Arsenal last season as injuries to the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Calafiori handed the teenager an unlikely first-team opportunity.

However, Lewis-Skelly spent much of his youth career in central and defensive midfield, and could yet find a new home in the senior setup if Brown is handed a left-back berth in N5.

Despite his breakthrough campaign last year, Lewis-Skelly has only started nine times in all competitions this term – just once in the league.

Given his previous disciplinary issues – the England full-back has received, rightly or wrongly, 11 yellow cards and been sent off twice – Arteta may consider him something of a liability in defence, particularly with a lack of depth behind him.

Playing the 19-year-old in midfield may allow Lewis-Skelly to play his more natural game and end up in fewer situations where he makes the kinds of rash challenges that lead to cautions.

As for Brown, the 2-cap Germany international is a versatile, left-sided defender who has shown more creativity than Lewis-Skelly in his position and received just seven yellow cards across the last two seasons.

Turning 23 in the summer, Brown is thought to have a £50m price tag on his head, which means his prospective move to the Emirates Stadium could echo that of Ben White, who moved for that sum at the same stage of his career back in 2021.

Having turned White into a fine full-back at Arsenal, Arteta will hope he can work similar magic with a more ready-made option that also allows Lewis-Skelly to flourish elsewhere.

Graduated in Sport Journalism (BA) with first-class honours from the University of Brighton and has since had bylines in The Times, sports business publication SportsPro, Football FanCast and The Gooner fanzine.