Mikel Arteta has been told by former Arsenal defender Johan Djourou to sign his own version of Jack Grealish to help the competition for places in the squad. The Gunners look to be focusing on defensive additions in the summer transfer window with a new central defender and right back two priority positions they want to fill.
Some of the names expected to be on their short list of options in those two roles includes Marc Guehi, Edmond Tapsoba, Mohamed Simakan and Ivan Fresneda. Arsenal's lack of depth at the back was brutally exposed by injuries to William Saliba, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko which saw Arteta shuffle his back four.
The final few weeks of the season saw central midfielder Thomas Partey at right-back, Ben White moved inside to partner Gabriel Magalhaes and Jakub Kiwior moved to left-back. Clearly, these necessary changes impacted Arsenal's failed Premier League title bid which explains why Arteta is desperate for more additions.
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On paper, Arsenal's attacking depth appears strong with the first-choice front four of Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard supported by a squad option. Eddie Nketiah is there for Jesus, Reiss Nelson for Saka, Leandro Trossard was also frequently rotated with Martinelli while Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe are ready to support Martin Odegaard and also fill the advanced eight role that has become Granit Xhaka's.
However, with the Switzerland international braced for a summer transfer to Bayer Leverkusen, a replacement will be needed there. Alongside this, a few badly timed injury issues in the front line could see that depth dissipate which is why Djourou wants to see Arteta copy Pep Guardiola's tactic and bring in another attacking option, perhaps when it doesn't appear needed, who can immediately impact the first-team picture, making his preferred choice known.
Speaking to MyBettingSites.co.uk, he said: "For me, competition is the be-all and end-all, so I would welcome a new arrival in that position (when asked about Arsenal's interest in Moussa Diaby).
"Just look at Manchester City: at the moment, top players like Phil Foden or Riyad Mahrez are always on the bench, while Jack Grealish is an integral part of the starting XI because he performs really well.
"A well-balanced squad is eminently important to strengthen the cohesion and to make sure that every player questions himself again and again. Arsenal need a bit more quality and experience so that nobody feels too comfortable."
The Gunners reignited their interest to sign Diaby in the January transfer window before ultimately moving on to Trossard. A few months ago, Arsenal were told by German journalist Patrick Berger, that a summer move is more likely for the Bayer Leverkusen winger and the Gunners would be looking at paying "€75million (£68million) plus huge bonuses."
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