Arsenal are reportedly eyeing a Premier League defender as the transfer window approaches, however, Mikel Arteta must avoid past mistakes in dodging the potential signing.

The Spaniard will be keen to make amendments to his side this summer after narrowly missing out on the league title, with depth needed in all areas to tussle with defending champions Manchester City once again.

A host of talent has been linked with a move to the Emirates already, however, the latest link should be one for the club to swipe past.

What’s the latest on Timothy Castagne to Arsenal?

As reported by Belgian outlet Het Belang van Limburg (as relayed by Sport Witness), Leicester City defender Timothy Castagne is a wanted man at Arsenal.

The news was supported by journalist Sacha Tavolieri, who claimed the right-back is seen by the Gunners as a second choice to Real Valladolid gem Ivan Fresneda.

Tavolieri added that Arsenal have ‘started the talks’ with the Foxes over the Belgian with things having the potential to ‘develop quickly’.

Is Timothy Castagne the best option for Arsenal?

Having once been described as being an “absolute liability” by members of the media, the 27-year-old made 37 appearances this season in a campaign that saw Leicester relegated to the Championship.

The right-back has some qualities that established him as a Premier League player, however, Arsenal must avoid past mistakes in the transfer window in order to fully progress after a title-challenging term.

The Gunners secured the signing of Cedric Soares from Southampton in 2020, but the Portuguese defender has failed to make an impact in north London.

While the market can be misleading when stating ‘you get what you pay for’, Arsenal could indeed seek better options than an individual that played a key role in the defence of a side that was relegated.

In 2022 when speaking on talkSPORT, former Premier League forward Darren Bent claimed that Cedric was “not good enough” for the Gunners, something that was correct, with the 31-year-old going on loan to Fulham in January 2023 where he made just six appearances.

Depth is what Arsenal need, however, it's the quality in the numbers that is critical to the north Londoners to close the gap on Pep Guardiola’s treble winners, as seen by the gulf in class following William Saliba’s injury in March and Rob Holding’s inadequate cameo.

Signing a relegated individual shouldn’t be the route that Edu follows in order to add to the squad this summer, with statistics showing that Castagne ranks far lower than the Gunners’ current options.

Ben White, who is considered Arsenal’s first-choice right-back, was dribbled past on average 0.7 times per game this season, with the Leicester defender being overcome 1.2 times per game, via Sofascore.

Although he would expectedly act as a backup to the Englishman, Arteta wouldn’t be making a significant upgrade on Cedric in signing Castagne.

When comparing the seasons of the Portuguese in 2021/22 to the Belgian this year via FBref, the numbers suggest that Cedric is actually better suited to the Spaniard’s style of play, averaging 5.09 progressive passes per 90 to the £67k-per-week defender’s 2.93.

Having progressive playing full-backs is integral to Arsenal’s playing style, and with the reported target not hitting near the heights of the Emirates’ out-of-favour player, the deal makes little sense in the club’s pursuit of another title challenge.

And as such, Arteta must avoid repeating a Cedric-esque mistake this off-season.