Whatever Arsene Wenger Says, Arsenal Still Need a Centre-Back

At his final pre-match press conference of 2014, manager Arsene Wenger announced Arsenal were hunting for a new midfielder. That’s all very well, but his pursuit of a midfield signing should not obscure the fact that Arsenal still urgently require a new centre-half. 

Wenger is often cautious to enter the January market. It’s difficult to find value midway through the season, and for a manager with Wenger’s penny-pinching predilections, it is a hazardous time to buy; however, pressed by David Hytner of the Guardian on if he would be bidding for anyone next month, he did admit that midfield would be his priority:

"

There is a need there [to enter the market] but the right opportunity has to come up. To buy, simply to buy, is not what we want to do but if the right opportunity comes up, we will do it.

If you look at the number of games some players played and the injuries we have with Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta, we are a bit short at the moment in midfield.

"

Wenger is right: Arsenal do need a midfielder. Even before the recent spate of injuries, the squad was crying out for the addition of a top-class holding player. Arsenal’s fitness problems have merely exacerbated a problem that was already there. In their most recent game against West Ham United, the Gunners didn’t have a single recognised midfield player on the bench. Francis Coquelin, previously banished to a loan spell with Charlton Athletic, is now starting crucial games.

Mark Runnacles/Getty Images

Hytner mentions a link with Newcastle United’s Moussa Sissoko. Although his power would add a physical presence to the Arsenal midfield, he doesn’t have the defensive attributes Arsenal need. Wenger requires someone who has the positional instincts and playmaking ability of Arteta, as well as the physical strength of a Sissoko. Finding such a player in January will not be easy.

However, even if Wenger can recruit a holding midfielder who ticks all those boxes, he will still only have done half of the requisite January shopping. Wenger failed to mention it in his press briefing, but the Gunners still need a new centre-back.

It’s possible that Wenger feels the return to fitness of Mathieu Debuchy and Laurent Koscielny has assuaged the need for defensive reinforcements. If so, he ought to reconsider. Entering the second half of the season with his current crop of defenders is asking for trouble.

Michael Steele/Getty Images

Wenger believes that Arsenal were “unlucky” with injuries in the first period of the season; however, the loss of Koscielny cannot possibly be ascribed to luck. The Arsenal staff were well aware of his chronic Achilles problem, yet chose to enter the 2014/15 campaign without appropriate cover. When he broke down, their folly was exposed.

Koscielny might be back playing, but his Achilles remains something of a ticking time bomb. Even if he remains available for selection, he is unlikely to be risked in every game. Experienced cover is required. 

Wenger’s assertion that Arsenal need a new midfielder is correct; however, such a player should not arrive at the expense of a new defender. Perhaps Wenger will uncover a compromise, signing a utility player with the ability to cover both positions.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.