Arsenal has been forced to rely on Jakub Kiwior in recent matches due to injury issues that have sidelined both Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhães. Jurrien Timber, who can also play as a centre-back, has been filling in at right-back in the absence of Ben White, further reshuffling the defensive setup. These adjustments highlight the injury problems that have continuously affected the Gunners this season. While Mikel Arteta’s team has managed these challenges, the ongoing injury concerns have prompted discussions about strengthening their defensive options in the upcoming January transfer window.
The criticism Arsenal faced over the summer signing of Calafiori, who was brought in to add depth to the squad, now seems justified. The Italian’s presence has proven vital as injuries have left the Gunners thin at the back, reinforcing the importance of having a quality backup in defence. With the team competing on multiple fronts and targeting major honours, Arsenal’s need for additional defensive reinforcements has become even more pressing.
According to a report from Football Insider, Mikel Arteta is considering adding a new defender to his squad in January. The Gunners are expected to be among the most active clubs in the winter transfer window, and a new centre-back is reportedly on Arteta’s radar. The source suggests that Arsenal is keen to bolster their defensive ranks and provide greater competition and cover for their current defenders.
As Arsenal looks to maintain their push for four major trophies, the January transfer window offers a crucial opportunity to improve their squad. Arteta will be eager to act quickly if promising options become available, ensuring that the team is well-equipped to handle any future injury setbacks. Strengthening their defence could prove to be a key move in sustaining their challenge across all competitions.
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Which injury prone defender should we sign this time. 🤣😂🤦♂️
Recce James from Chelsea! Mikel has a fascination for CFC rejects. Suits both criteria. Rotation is the key. Kiwor needs more game time in the cups. Few years back, Gabriel was error prone, but today he is the spine, without whom we struggle for goals in set pieces and unable to keep clean sheets. Any sensible manager would cut short the loan deal of Sterling, push Gabriel J wide and hire a lethal forward for the EPL when we cannot unlock defenses. In the summer, be ruthless with Gabriel J, Trossad and Kai. Yes, Kia, if Mikel could be ruthless with Ramsdale, the same logic should be applied to Kai. And add Jorginho, Viera, Nelson Tomiyasu, Zichencho and Tierney to that list. That’s a big list, do we have the funds for their replacements? 800M GBP spent with no silverware in sight, do not expect more signings. Stan and Josh have to look at options and make the right decision if they care for the club.
How many defenders have we signed since arteta took over? Can we not focus on the attack this time – it’s clearly where we’ve struggled the most. We’re too easy to play against when odegaard is unavailable or not on form, I don’t know what we’d do if saka was out for any stretch of time, and our CF and left wing options are crying out for improvement – we have several *good* players for those positions but none are as reliable as they need to be if we want to win stuff.
How about we sign another goalie? Or, have a backup manager for MA? Why not have another backup owner? I do not know where the end may be, but this is getting ridiculous. It is time to sharpen our knives. I like Martinelli and I believe he can improve, but if that is the issue, can we address that in Jan? It is pretty obvious that Havertz is not a CF, and Jesus is no longer in his prime. Shall we allot some funds to cover those departments? Ode’s injury costed us dearly, hope that is not irreversible, can we at least try to give him a backup? Money will never be enough, but obsession with defense only is probably not healthy.
I hope I am wrong that the two seasons before this were our best chances for champions. Our moves were behind, such as not getting a backup for Saliba. Now we have a stark attack issue, really take Jan seriously and patch it up. It is impossible for Liverpool to stay at this form, we need seize our opportunities. Chelsea look pretty decent recently, City may regain their form, even Vila can be a distant but real concern. I hope we really get the best out of the Jan window.
I think it all depends on what happens with White and Tomiyasu. I don’t think most people realise we now don’t have cover for Timber/Saliba in the absence of those two. If the duo are expected to be absent for more than two months,then signing another defender makes sense.
Many keep mentioning an attacker but I don’t think signing one should mean not strengthening other areas.We could get a defender,midfielder and attacker just like we did with Kiwior,Jorginho and Trossard. Besides,the likes of Tomi,Tierney & Zinchenko(maybe even Kiwior) may not be here next season. It therefore makes sense to start replacing them.
Of course you are correct – my frustration is the sheer number of defenders we’ve signed – many/most have been good players but too many have suffered recurring injuries. We have more than enough defenders in terms of numbers and quality, but we don’t have a fully working attack imo – a left winger or forward who could somewhat match saka’s quality would make us an extremely powerful side, whereas defenders would improve squad depth. The former improves us and the latter keeps us from getting worse. I’d rather we rolled the dice at this stage *if* it came down to a choice.
What do you think of Semenyo? 24 years old,Arsenal fan,Premier League proven,Homegrown,can play with both feet,can play both wings,does his defensive duties well,has pace and is a goal threat. He ticks many boxes. Yesterday we had many chances to score in transition with Jesus and Odegaard but couldn’t and it’s not the first time. Maybe Semenyo can help with that.
Yeah, I really like Semenyo – quick and skilled, but also very strong. Seems to be good at everything. I think he’d do really well here