Arsenal made waves in the transfer market this month to bring in attacking talents Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but failed in their attempts to bring in a centre-back.
The Gunners were strongly linked with potential moves to sign Jonny Evans and David Luiz, with both moves seeming to break down despite enquiries on deadline day, and we will now have to settle on our current options, thanks to the 11PM deadline having passed.
Our defence has been inconsistent this season, with main centre-back Laurent Koscielny missing plenty through injury, as well as Shkodran Mustafi also struggling to remain fit on occasion. Without the pair our side suffers distinctly, and another strong and experienced defender would have been a huge plus.
Our failing has so far been overshadowed by our shrewd captures of the two former Borussia Dortmund stars, but whilst the pair should go some way to boosting our attacking prowess, it still leaves our side short in a key area of the team.
Calum Chambers and Rob Holding have been vying for regular action in our senior squad, but neither have showed the consistency to warrant playing week-in week-out this term, and we will have to keep our fingers crossed that Kosc and Mustafi can remain fit for the remainder the campaign.
Would a defender have strengthened our overall teoriam more than a top striker? Will a centre-back be a priority come the summer?
Pat J