Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal have been vying for a first team spot since the latter arrived from Spanish club Malaga in 2013, but are either good enough to help their side mount a serious title challenge?
As then first choice left back Gael Clichy departed the side to join Manchester City in 2011, Manager Arsene Wenger confirmed it was time for young English left back Gibbs to step up and stake a claim as a first team regular.
Gibbs began the season and impressed with his performances, displaying a similar level of pace, agility and attacking threat to that of his predecessor. However, the English left back began to suffer from stomach issues early into a game against Sunderland and was substituted, shortly after Gibbs underwent hernia surgery and did not return to training for two months.
Despite this being a small issue and it allowing Gibbs to return to first team football later that season, the 25 year-old has had a limited career, with injuries plaguing his development as a footballer from a young age.
The next season (2012/13) Gibbs was comfortably Arsenal’s first choice and truly impressed in the first few months of the season, thus earning himself a new contract alongside a number of other young British stars at the club.
Gibbs continued to prove that his attacking ability could be an asset that Arsenal have yearned for since the days of Ashley Cole, most notably as he scored a fantastic volley against Swansea in the FA Cup.
Shortly after signing the new long term contract at Arsenal, Gibbs picked up an unfortunate thigh injury against Liverpool on 30th January that saw him out injured for six weeks and with Arsenal desperate for a stand in left back, Arsene Wenger dipped in to the transfer market on deadline day and signed Nacho Monreal for a fee of roughly £8m.
Despite regaining fitness and being back in contention for selection, Monreal’s performances kept him in the side for most of the remainder of the season, with Gibbs making his first start for the club since injury in April.
The following season saw Gibbs regain his place in the side and the left back was able to make more appearances than ever before with 41 (previous high of 34), impressing with his new found defensive abilities and a defensive recovery pace we had not previously seen. Gibbs finally looked as though his injury issues were behind him and he could now confirm the position as his own.
However, since last season Gibbs has not improved the way he was expected to with regular competitive football, looking slower and not being able to deliver a good final ball on most occasions, it seems we have seen the best the English left back has to offer by the age of 25.
Nacho Monreal has provided stiff competition for Gibbs and as such the Spaniard has now become a mainstay in the side.
The former Malaga man is an OK left back, better defensively than Gibbs but offers a lot less going forward, rarely overlapping in attacking positions or being able to provide any attacking threat, limiting the Gunners’ options going forward.
Jordi Alba and David Alaba are world class examples of this for their respective clubs, two quick full backs who can attack and defend, similar to Cesar Azpilicueta for Chelsea and many more full backs in world football.
Arsenal have fantastic options for the right back position, with the likes of Calum Chambers, Hector Bellerin and Mathieu Debuchy all making a number of appearances this season while Carl Jenkinson impresses on loan to East London side West Ham, so why should Wenger not consider investing in the other side of the defence?
A number of options are easily identifiable for who Arsene Wenger could sign, so let’s take a look at them.
Ricardo Rodriguez
The left back has been a vitally important cog in an impressive season for German giants Wolfsburg. The Swiss international is young at 22 years-old but has already racked up over 100 appearances at club level while starring for his country at the World Cup in 2014.
Rodriguez was awarded the Swiss Player of the Year award in 2014, beating off competition from the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Diego Benaglio.
The Swiss star is known for his ability to hit a dead ball, racking up 10 goals and three assists from a full back position, while making an average of at least 2.4 interceptions per game.
With the left back signing a new contract in January 2015 keeping him at his current side until at least 2019, Rodriguez will be a costly option for Arsene Wenger, but one that may be worth the investment.
Luke Garbutt
21 year-old Luke Garbutt is an option that wouldn’t have even been considered last season, but the young English full back has impressed this season and is one of the finest young prodigies in world football.
With defensive intelligence and the ability to hit a dead ball similar to Rodriguez, Garbutt is a fantastic young footballer.
The England u-21 international currently has Leighton Baines ahead of him in the pecking order at Everton and may be considering his options in order to gain first team football.
While Garbutt may not be a straight replacement for Gibbs or Monreal, the young full back will be able to develop under the tutelage of Arsenal’s current options and could see a surge into first team football similar to that of Hector Bellerin.
Garbutt could cost Arsenal nothing with his current contract at Everton ending at the end of the season, so this is definitely one for Wenger to consider.
Jose Gaya
Valencia’s full back is reportedly a man hot in demand with a number of clubs eyeing up a move for him after an impressive season for the fourth placed Spanish side.
At the tender age of 19, Gaya has a whole career ahead of him and has become a first team regular at Valencia only this season under new Manager Nuno Santo.
Gaya is a similar footballer to Jordi Alba, who previously played for Valencia before making the move across Spain to Barcelona. Quick, a good tackler of the ball and someone who loves to dribble the ball, Gaya could be a good albeit expensive option for Arsene Wenger to consider.
Jordan Amavi
Possibly an underrated or rather unheard of option, Jordan Amavi is one of the top performing left backs in European football this season.
At only 21 years-old, Amavi is young but will provide a direct threat to Gibbs and Monreal because of his sheer talent.
Amavi has proven a fantastic attacking outlet for French side Nice this season with his pace, crossing ability and aerial threat from set pieces. The young Frenchman has also scored three goals this season, more than both of Arsenal’s current left backs combined.
What is most impressive about Amavi is that according to WhoScored.com, he has made an average of four tackles, 4.5 interceptions and four clearances on average per game this season, with no left backs making more.
A typical Arsene Wenger signing, Amavi is a young French footballer who may not cost a lot of money coming from a Nice side that are sitting average in 10th position.
As options, all of the above would provide a threat to Gibbs and Monreal, offering their own unique array of talents; they would certainly be fantastic options for Wenger to consider.
The importance of a left back is somewhat underrated, with the position mastered by few, but as right back turned left back Azpilicueta has shown at Chelsea over the last couple of seasons, it is a position that can be as effective as any if mastered.
Whether you are deployed as a full back or a wing back, the men on either side of the pitch are expected to contribute both going forward and defensively, with energy and positional awareness key factors.
Ashley Cole is the greatest modern day left back in the history of the Premier League, a man that could run tirelessly for 90 minutes every week and always ensured he was in effective positions for his side, whether that be in attacking or defensive positions.
A left back could reluctantly be described as a red herring, someone who can bombard forward with pace while their team mate on the ball ahead of them is able to cut inside, meaning the opposing team defender goes into a state of confusion as to whether to track the left back who could receive the ball, or risk losing the man on the ball and allowing a shot at goal.
This is something that top European sides utilise so well and hold in such high regard; David Alaba and Franck Ribery for Bayern Munich, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid and Jordi Alaba & Neymar for Barcelona are perfect examples of how best to utilise this attacking option.
Money must be spent to improve any side, so why not invest in a long term option that can be both good defensively and offensively?
