Premier League leader Arsenal find themselves at a crossroads this winter. While the club have shown no indication of the need to sign players in January, some members of the first team squad have been linked with moves away.

With Ethan Nwaneri having joined Marseille on loan, the other player who has been in the headlines is Christian Norgaard. The Danish midfielder has struggled for regular playing time since joining from Brentford.

According to CaughtOffside, Ajax are looking at the 31-year old as a target as they seek to bolster their engine room in the hunt for the Eredivisie title. 

Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund, AS Roma, and Lazio are also interested in the former Brondby man. A fee of £15–17m has been touted as reasonable for a squad player at Arsenal.

However, selling him at this moment in time would be a strategic mistake. Striver.football analyses why a move away from Arsenal would not be beneficial for all parties:

Norgaard has managed just three Premier League appearances since signing from Brentford. He has found it difficult to dislodge Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, and Mikel Merino in either the number six or eight roles.

Ajax would give Norgaard what he lacks in London: guaranteed football. While Norgaard would benefit from this, Arsenal would be missing out on an influential leader in the dressing room.

Norgaard was primarily signed for his leadership qualities. As one of the likely voices of reason in the dressing room, the club would suffer if he left.

Speaking before their UEFA Champions League game against Kairat, the Dane insisted he was happy with his current role at the club

"I would obviously love to play more minutes, but the minutes I’ve had so far I’ve really enjoyed," Norgaard told Arsenal.com.

"It’s not easy... You train with players of this quality. But it’s a good feeling to see and feel like you can actually play on this level."

Although Norgaard would easily get gametime elsewhere, the possibility of winning trophies with Arsenal come May is surely a prospect he would not want to turn down.

Norgaard mentioned his grandmother’s tradition of making scrapbooks of his career achievements. Being photographed as a part of Arsenal’s success is a collection he hopes to add to this May. 

Although he has barely played, Norgaard could be crucial as Arsenal fight for all four trophies. The physical toll on Rice and Zubimendi is destined to peak. Norgaard could be called upon as Arteta seeks to rest some of his key players, including against Kairat.

Norgaard has also filled in at center back during an injury crisis. He could provide cover when needed in that position, especially with Saliba, Christhian Mosquera, Pierro Hincapie, Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori all suffering fitness setbacks at different parts of the season so far.

Noorgard also opened up about having a “very honest” conversation with Arteta about his role. This is vital, as it means squad harmony is kept calm.

Maintaining a happy, high-quality squad player who accepts his position is rare. Breaking that harmony in January to save a few million could destabilize the dressing room.

While youngsters like Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly also played a crucial role last season, Arteta has used them more sparingly this time around. The man is under pressure to deliver silverware, and relying on experienced heads could help at this particular moment. Norgaard has that in abundance.

Norgaard may not have a long-term future at Arsenal, but in the immediate short term, he will be needed more than ever.

Ajax have also been mooting moves for Liverpool’s Wataru Endo and Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte. The Gunners should let Ajax pursue their other options instead, as Norgaard could yet play a big role in the second half of the season.