Premier League Midfielder Confirms Arsenal Interest as he Mulls January Move

West Bromwich Albion midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu has confirmed that the Gunners are keeping tabs on him and the player will consider a move to the Emirates in January.

Arsenal are in the market for a midfield enforcer and Mulumbu, who put in a brilliant performance against the league toppers at the Hawthorns has emerged as their biggest target. The 26-year-old joined the Baggies from Paris Saint-Germain in 2009 for a fee of £150,000 and has been a major hit under Steve Clarke. West Brom have made a good start to the new season, churning out wins against Manchester United at Old Trafford and holding the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea to draws.

Mulumbu has been central to everything that the Baggies have achieved thus far but believes that it is time that he takes the next step and moves to a top four club. The Gunners already have Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta in that role, but Mulumbu's arrival will give them more strength in depth in that position, something which is imperative if the Gunners plan to challenge for the title.

"I have had approaches from Arsenal. I could leave this winter. This is the right time for me to set my sights higher. I'm ready to join a top-four club. We are not professional enough in the way we manage our games - for example our draw at Chelsea. We are not mature enough," Mulumbu said.

Wenger is expected to be active in the market in winter, with a striker being his top priority to act as back-up for Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman has started in all Premier League games for the Gunners this season and will need some rest along the way if he has to keep up his goal scoring record through the length of the season. His teammate and compatriot Laurent Koscielny believes that the player is tiring and needs some help from Wenger to last the length.

"It's true that he's not scoring but he is setting them up, like he did against Dortmund. But he's also playing game after game and hasn't had a rest, so maybe he's feeling a bit of fatigue. He's very important for us - strong and always answers the call on the pitch. If you look at the games, he weighs enormously on the opposition's defence. All the balls he wins are in the air with his back to goal. He works very hard up front," Koscielny told the Sun.