According to reports in The Mirror, Arsenal are ready to make a fresh move for West Bromwich Albion centre-back Jonny Evans having failed with a £25m bid for the Baggies captain during the summer transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Mirror says that the north London outfit are still keen on the Northern Ireland international with Arsene Wenger wanting to bring a new central defender to the club in January.

The Mirror says that Evans would be interested in a move if another big-money offer comes in, but that Manchester City may also be keen again having also registered their interest in the 29-year-old in the summer.

The report adds that new West Brom manager Alan Pardew may have to sell before he can buy in the New Year, meaning he will talk to Evans about whether he is keen on leaving or not.

How has Evans done this season?

The 29-year-old has suffered a couple of injury niggles in what has been a difficult Premier League campaign for the Baggies so far, but the Northern Irishman has once again been one of their most consistent performers.

He has captained the team in all 12 of his first-team appearances this term, and he has shown the defensive qualities that he has.

According to Squawka, Evans has made 42 clearances, 18 interceptions and five blocks in 11 top flight appearances, while he has won 17 of the 32 aerial duels he has faced.

His passing accuracy of 83% is pretty impressive considering he would have been asked to play long balls at times under previous manager Tony Pulis, while he has shown his strength on the ball by successfully completing all five of the take-ons he has attempted.

Would he be a good signing for Arsenal?

He probably would be, yes.

Evans has proven himself to be one of the most reliable defenders in the Premier League over the course of the last few years, and the fact that he is left-sided makes him an attractive option.

While Nacho Monreal has done a good job filling in on the left side of the three-man defence for the Gunners, it would surely be much better if they had a specialist centre-back in that position, and that is exactly what the Northern Ireland international would be.

With just 18 months left on his contract and the fact he is turning 30 in January, he could be purchased for a reasonable fee, too.

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