Recent reports claim that Arsenal have given up on their hopes of landing Serie A defender, Stefan De Vrij and have instead shifted their attention to Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez. The 23-year-old is a highly rated centre-half who has appeared in 27 games for Red and Whites this season.
He has been capped at international level as well 37 times and is expected to take the stage in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. His composed presence along with an ability to read the game well is what sets him apart from the rest.
Laurent Koscielny is only a shadow of his former self and is in horrific form.
Shkodran Mustafi is the better option in the defence but has lacked the x-factor to really lead the side. Calum Chambers and Rob Holding are still amidst their own development process. The young duo is a huge part of the club’s future, but without consistency will have a tough time breaking into the starting XI.
Per Mertesacker’s retirement after this season will leave a gap in the club ranks in terms of leadership and experience and maybe Gimenez is being considered to be his replacement. But does Wenger really need another centre-back in the side or should he disburse all his energy towards a wing addition?
Their current season are in shambles in the domestic competition and the Europa League is their best chance of resurrecting their status as one of the biggest clubs in England. They were completely whitewashed by Premier League leaders, Manchester City in the Carabo Cup final by 3 goals to nil.
Wenger’s tactics were well beaten and the players looked less than impressive against a well-drilled side. They were equally poor against Ostersunds FK – a relatively weaker club in the 1-2 home loss in the Round of 32-second leg last week.
Not to mention the absolutely humiliating display they put up against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup 4th Round fixture to bow out of the competition. Right now Wenger is still hopeful of finishing the season in the top four but an 8-point gap will be hard to bridge with just 10 games left in the season.
Obviously, the current way of doing things cannot go on for long and additions are highly necessary for the summer transfer window. Gimenez is a prime candidate who can fill out the gaps in the backline.
