Who Arsenal should sign in defence

Peter Hill Wood and Arsene Wenger have come out recently expressing that Arsenal would be conducting their transfers behind closed doors. Therefore despite little snippets of leaked information all we can do at this moment is speculate about the comings and goings of the club.

It was evident last year in the absence of Vermaelen that what we really lacked was a strong combative defender who would win balls in the air and have a leader’s presence on the pitch. The CB is for me the key area Wenger has to sure up and I will try to shed some light on who would be the best choice.

I think that the best option for us would be to recruit from the Premier league rather than abroad as we need someone with experience of the physicality of the English game. Realistically this leaves us with 3 clear choices: Jagielka, Cahill and Samba.

All three of these players have played around 150 premier league games and this is the experience that we need. In my opinion all three are closely matched however despite there not being much difference, I think Christopher Samba would be the best buy. Comparisons have already been drawn between him and Sol Campbell and this is the kind of dominating defender we need to partner Vermaelen. The blend of style and strength these two would share is exciting. Last year we conceded 56% of our goals from set pieces the most in the premier league and Samba’s strength and aerial presence would go a long way to solve this making him the ideal buy.

Arsenal have also been rocked by the departure of Gael Clichy to Manchester City which leaves a gaping hole and some big boots to fill at left back. Arsene is left with two options bring in a direct replacement or rely on the inexperience of Traore and Gibbs.

While Gibbs is certainly progressing he still has a long way to go as does Traore despite both showing potential in the pre–season. I think for both of them this season would be key in letting them gain experience without having to risk them in crucial games against big teams where they may become exposed.

In my opinion the replacement should come out of either Enrique or Baines. Both come with experience and have played English football. They both also would suit Arsenal’s style of play with their attacking approach to the game.

Guest Post

By James Wareing