Arsenal fans in the Football Transfer Tavern are delighted to hear in Metro that Arsene Wenger is eyeing Schalke’s World Cup winner Benedikt Howedes as his ideal defensive reinforcement in January.

The Gunners boss is desperate to clean up his defensive mess in the New Year and he will hope he can strike a deal for the 26-year-old with a bid in the region of £15 million.

It has been far from ideal for Wenger in the Premier League this season after having to start full backs Nacho Monreal and Mathieu Debuchy at centre half on occasion after being struck with a list of injuries.

So he is hoping the versatility of Schalke’s vice captain will help strengthen his defensive options as he can play at both left back and centre back.

Wenger will hope his German contingent at the Emirates Stadium will play a key role in capturing him with his international team-mates Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski having shared the World Cup success with him in Brazil.

Punters were impressed with his performances during the summer at the World Cup after he started every game for Germany.