Arsenal legend Martin Keown believes that Unai Emery still has defensive question marks ahead of the new season, despite securing the services of David Luiz from Chelsea on deadline day.

The Gunners paid the Blues £8 million for the Brazilian and also brought in left-back Kieran Tierney from Celtic for £25 million in the final hours.

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Many have been split down the middle over the purchase of Luiz, with Arsenal failing in moves for RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano and Juventus’ Daniele Rugani earlier in the week.

And talking in the first of his new season ‘Tackle Keown’ columns with the Daily Mail, former Gunners defender Keown admitted he wouldn’t have signed the defender, adding that defensively, there are still issues.

I wrote in a column this week that if I was Unai Emery, I would not sign David Luiz.

Maybe at £8million, and given how much they needed a central defender, Arsenal may have felt it was a deal they could not refuse.

Regardless of what I think about the transfer, now that Luiz is at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal have to crack on and work with what they’ve got. He is a player comfortable in possession.

Defensively, there are question marks, but let’s see how he does.


Read Arsenal verdict

The Arsenal legend definitely has a point. There will still be question marks in the Gunners backline, however, if Luiz can bring his consistent performances under Maurizio Sarri into this season under Emery, then he’ll certainly be an upgrade on the likes of Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny.

Kieran Tierney’s arrival is also a massive one. The Scot, when fully fit, is head and shoulders above both Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac and, if he can adjust to Premier League life relatively quickly, will nail down a regular starting spot at the Emirates with ease.

Personally, I think the club’s defensive options have certainly got better over the summer, however, they’ll still have to answer their critics on the field in the coming months. If they can keep fans quiet with a series of consistent performances, Arsenal could well be in line for an exciting season.

Will Luiz impress for Arsenal?

Yes

No