Arsenal have been poor defensively so far this season but it’s reported that Mikel Arteta could bring in reinforcements in January to try and solve that issue.
The Gunners remain down in 12th place in the Premier League table after 20 games as they face an 11-point deficit to fourth-placed Chelsea.
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A major issue for them has been their porous backline which has conceded 30 goals in those 20 outings, giving them the joint-worst defensive record of the top 12 sides in the standings.
That issue came back to haunt them at the weekend again after Chelsea scored two late goals to claim all three points at the Emirates in a big blow for Arteta and his side, and so they will surely be fully aware of their need to tighten things up at the back.
According to The Mirror, it’s claimed that the Arsenal hierarchy will back the Spaniard in January and strengthening their defence could be the priority.
Further, it’s suggested that RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano could be eyed as their top target to shore things up at the back, with the 21-year-old cementing his place as a key figure for the Bundesliga side while being capped at U21 level for France.
As noted by The Express over the weekend though, it might not be cheap to prise him away from Leipzig as a £50m bid has been touted, while Tottenham have also been linked with a swoop.
In turn, Arsenal will need to be sure that he’s the solution that they need in order to justify such a big potential fee, but there is little doubt that something must be done about the defence.
While William Saliba will join up with the squad next summer after being shipped out on loan following his summer deal to join the Gunners, they continue to rely on the same stalwarts in David Luiz, Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis.
That hasn’t delivered positive results on a consistent basis this season, and so adding defensive reinforcements to complement their attacking quality will surely be the smart priority for the New Year.