Arsene Wenger making a Huge Mistake By Not Signing a Centre Back

Recently Arsene Wenger stated that it would be surprise if he signed any player in the January transfer window. This came as a blow to Arsenal fans who expected him to sign at least a centre back to fill in for the injured Thomas Vermaelen and Sebastian Squillaci. Despite all this Wenger is most likely not to sign a centre back.

It is not that there was a shortage of top quality centre backs. Arsenal have been linked with a plethora of centre backs including experienced and talented players like Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka.

Initially Wenger has stated that he was in the market for a centre back but following the return of Sebastian Squillaci, Wenger has decided not to sign a defender.

But in my opinion he is making a big mistake that can end up affecting Arsenal’s title bid. Arsenal are a team that are always hit with injuries to key players especially during the business end of the season. This season as of now Arsenal are fairly injury free except for Thomas Vermaelen.

The absence of Vermaelen has been a huge blow for Wenger and his men as Vermaelen is undoubtedly their best defender and is Arsenal’s defensive leader. In his absence of Vermaelen Arsenal had only 3 fit centre backs in Squillaci, Koscielny and Djourou.

Out of those 3, Koscielny and Squillaci are new signings and this is their first season in the Premier League. Koscielny looks to be a great defender and is fantastic in the air. Squillaci on the other hand looks to be shaky and has often made costly mistakes.

The centre back pairing of Koscielny and Squillaci have looked shaky and have often considered soft goals that have affected the team. 15 of the 22 goals Arsenal have conceded have come when the 2 of them have played at the heart of the defense.

Djourou has been Arsenal’s best centre back this season and has been one of their star performers.  He has been mammoth at the back and despite looking rusty initially he has bounced back in fashion and is a real force at the back. He is calm and composed on the ball and is height gives him an added advantage. He has added solidity to the Arsenal back four and has had a great influence on the defense.

Koscielny has looked great when partnering Djourou and has radiated confidence when partnering Djourou, an attribute that is severely lacking when he has partnered Squillaci. The centre back pairing of Koscielny and Djourou has been Arsenal’s best partnership at the back in the absence of Vermaelen.

The problem is that Djourou is just back from a lengthy lay off that resulted in him missing the whole of last season. Due to this fact Arsene Wenger has been extremely cautious when using the Swiss defender. So he used the defender only once a week and rarely used him more than that. But the injury to Squillaci meant that Wenger used him in 8 matches in a mere 24 days which was exactly what Wenger was looking to avoid.

Djourou has been Arsenal’s best centre back and the last thing Wenger would want would be for him to pick up an injury. By playing him in so many matches Wenger is making him prone to injuries and leaving Arsenal with the centre back pairing of Koscielny and Squillaci.

Thomas Vermaelen is expected to return in another 3-4 weeks. But there have been so many setbacks and let’s not forget that he was expected to return to action back in September itself. Nothing is certain about his return and it will be at least March before he can start on a regular basis again.

So that leaves Arsenal with just 3 fit centre backs till Vermaelen’s return. That leaves Arsenal in a situation where he cannot afford to lose a centre back to injury. If someone were to get injured, Wenger risks tiring his fit centre backs which can affect Arsenal in an extremely bad way.

It’s imperative for Arsenal to have a strong and fit defense in the upcoming months as Arsenal have an extremely hectic fixture list. Arsenal are set to play Barcelona in the Champions League knockout stages and are through to the finals of the Carling Cup. Arsenal cannot allow any slip ups in the title race and need to win every possible game to lift the Premier League crown.

To ensure that Arsenal have a fit and firing defense Arsene Wenger will have to go out there and sign a defender before the transfer window closes. There are several talented players out there in the market like Gary Cahill, Sakho, Jagielka, and Vertonghen.

Several of these players have a lot of experience even at the international level and are seasoned campaigners. Their signings would offer Wenger some flexibility in squad selection especially since he likes mixing up his squad. They would add something new to the Arsenal ranks and would no doubt boost their chances of capturing a major trophy.

Arsene Wenger is a great manager and one of the best in the world but he needs to show some initiative and do whatever he can to buy a centre back. He recently stated that he doesn’t need 5 centre backs at the club and that would be a waste. But on the long run it can prove to be a smart piece of business.

Arsenal are hit by injuries almost every other season and Squillaci is over 30 which means he has only close to 2 years left in his Arsenal career.

Arsenal and injuries always go hand in hand and Arsenal need to be prepared for the best.