Arsenal Ramp Up Interest in Ipswich Defender Tyrone Mings

Arsenal have ramped up their interest in Ipswich left-back Tyrone Mings and are preparing a move for the defender in January to alleviate their problems at the back, according to the Daily Mirror.

Arsenal scout Pat Holland is a keen admirer of the player and has watched him several times, including at the recent weekend when they managed a 1-0 win over Watford at home. The defender is expected to be available for a fee in the range of £10m, having shown immense potential during his stay at the club.

Wenger is looking to add a defender to his repertoire in January and may look to add a left-back to replace Nacho Monreal, who will then be used as a third choice centre-back in case of an injury to Laurent Koscielny or Per Mertesacker.

The Frenchman's decision to persist with his existing personnel in defence following the departure of Thomas Vermaelen has backfired on him, with injuries to Manthieu Debuchy and Koscielny for the long term leaving the Gunners threadbare at the back.

Meanwhile, Calum Chambers, who had a torrid time at right-back in Arsenal's 2-1 loss to Swansea, believes that the Gunners need to be mentally strong if they have to get back into the top four. The defender was beaten for pace repeatedly by the Swansea wingers, which led to the second goal and ultimately their winner.

"We all know how each other plays and we know what we need to do each game. We've just got to stay mentally strong throughout the game," Chambers told www.Arsenal.com.

"It's always a tough place to come. They're a strong side and obviously we'll have a chance to watch the game back later. We've just got to stay mentally strong as a team. We'll watch it back to learn from it and try to improve our game. That's the only thing we can do," he added.