The January transfer window is open and the rumours are flowing in.
It was always hoped that Arsenal would make a move into the transfer market this January. It is now an expectation following the long term injury suffered by Calum Chambers.
Naturally, because of that injury, it was always going to be centre-halves that the media would speculate about. If Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had suffered a long term injury instead of Chambers what sort of player do you think the media would have been linking Arsenal with?
Now, most of these defenders, if not all, have previously been linked with a move to the Emirates, so they are not fresh as such. However, these are what I have personally been reading and writing about in the last 24 hours.
Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich)
Daniele Rugani (Juventus)
Merih Demiral (Juventus)
Nathan Ake (Bournemouth)
Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig)
Now, I am not going to make any predictions on whether any of these players will sign on the dotted line but I will suggest that these five are going to be just the tip of the iceberg.
That list could easily double or treble in size and if Arteta does acquire a new central defender it could quite easily be someone that has not previously been linked with Arsenal.
I do not expect there to be much gossip about forwards or even midfielders, not in comparison to defenders anyway.
So strap yourselves in, this is just the beginning of the month and there are going to be a hell of a lot of central defenders being touted as the replacement for Calum Chambers.
At least for those bored with transfer gossip they can at least sit back and be confident that it is highly likely that a new defender will pop up at the Emirates this month.