Arsene Wenger has revealed that Arsenal were in the market for defensive reinforcements anyway this window and Mathieu Debuchy’s unfortunate shoulder has only heightened the need for some more bodies at the back.
Speaking after Arsenal’s 3-0 win against Stoke, Wenger admitted that the loss of Debuchy provides him with a ‘problem’.
“We lost another experienced defender and that gives us a problem because we are really short.
“I was in the market anyway but for sure losing Debuchy means centre-back is a position where we are short.”
Kieran Gibbs and Calum Chambers missed today’s game against Stoke, with the former having a slight knee issue and the latter sitting out with illness. With Debuchy’s latest injury, Arsenal are down to six first team defenders. For four positions. You just have to feel they will move in the market.
And one solution to the problem could be Winston Reid, who’s contract expires in the summer. Buying him now would provide genuine competition for Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny and he is thought to be available for under £5 million. It almost makes too much sense.
Laurent Koscielny’s achilles has healed well and the defender is slowly returning to 100%, but the club would like to bring in another body to ease pressure on the Frenchman, what with the busy schedule of fixtures during the second half of the season. Reid ticks more boxes here because he will not be cup-tied for the Champions League and knows the league well, having been at West Ham since 2010.
Reid may not be the one, as West Ham will be reluctant to disrupt their good start to the season. And if that is the case, it will be interesting to see who Wenger moves for. One thing is for sure, Arsene can’t sit back and not bring anyone in. That’s just asking for trouble.
Having said that, it’s good to see Wenger come out and admit he’s actively seeking a defender. There’s no dancing around the issue: We just don’t have enough bodies back there. Let’s see the club bring in a couple of players to stop the goals going in and we can have a really good end to the season.
