Having just suffered a humbling 5-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool, Arsenal’s defense has become a prominent topic of discussion.
One thing’s for sure: when the summer transfer window rolls by, there’s sure to be a fair amount of chopping and changing.
Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are top defenders, but they need to be pushed harder and there needs to be more competition for places. I’m not sure that Nacho Monreal is a good fit for the Gunners (he is positionally all over the place) and with Bacary Sagna’s contract up in the summer, he too could move on.
Arsene Wenger needs to start preparing for this eventuality now. Bacary Sagna has been an integral part of this Arsenal side for a number of years now and his absence will be keenly felt.
The Bac’ is one of the most consistent right backs in the Premier League. He’s an astute defender, works hard, gets up and down the flanks quickly and is probably the best crosser of the ball in Arsenal’s current squad. Replacing him wont be easy.
Carl Jenkinson certainly wont be able to do the job. Corporal Jenkinson has plenty of quality, but he’s still to raw and too inexperienced to perform at the top level. He needs to be given time to grow into his role and shouldn’t be thrust into the first team before he’s ready.
This brings me to The Mirror‘s claim that Arsenal are in the market for a Southampton full back. No, not Luke Shaw (unfortunately), but Calum Chambers.
Like Shaw, Chambers has been making a real name for himself at St Marys. At just 19-years-old, he’s already demonstrated a formidable amount of defensive nous, technical trickery and attacking prowess. The youngster has pace to burn and isn’t afraid to take defenders on and cause all kinds of havoc.
He also looks more ready to perform at the top level than Carl Jenkinson.
The Mirror claim that he has a £10m price-tag, which is certainly within the Gunner’s financial wheelhouse. Arsenal fans may be holding out for a more experienced individual, but it’s hard not to feel that Calum Chambers could do a good job, if called upon.
