With all the focus very much on the midfield, it is perhaps easy to forget that there remain other areas that still need Arsenal’s attention in the forthcoming summer transfer window. Beyond the forward line is the defensive reinforcement that has been highlighted more recently due to the injuries to William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu which have plagued the end to the Gunners’ season.
Rob Holding has come in but the impact on the productivity of the side, especially in the build-up has been noticeably damaging. It has become widely accepted that an upgrade to the competitive options available in the positions is clear.
Mikel Arteta looked to have two clear routes with this. Sign a centre-half to upgrade on Rob Holding to provide competition for Saliba, or sign a full-back who can then offer variation in options to the position whilst seeing Ben White able to cover Saliba if necessary and play with the new right-back option.
