Arsenal Transfer News: Lack of Signings Will Cost Gunners a 2012 Top-4 Finish

While Arsenal FC has failed to make any significant signings to improve their roster heading into the 2011-12 English Premier League season, their rivals and top competitors Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City have all made moves to increase their chances at winning the league.

With Inter Milan Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder nearing a move to Manchester United today, Arsenal may fall even farther behind the defending EPL champs.

Manager Arsene Wenger has always been reluctant to spend big money to improve his young Arsenal squad, and has yet to pull the trigger this summer on acquiring any star players, such as French striker Karim Benzema of Real Madrid, who would be a perfect fit at the Emirates.

With no big signings, and the trouble they are having extending Samir Nasri's expiring contract, will Arsenal finish in the top four of the EPL next season?

They very well may not. Man United, City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham could all finish ahead of Arsenal.

Finishing out of the top four would leave the Gunners out of the Champions League for the 2012-13 season, which would devastate team morale and severely hurt their ability to lure big stars through transfers.

The biggest problem for Arsenal is their back four defenders and goalkeeper. They haven't had a true number one keeper in years, and injuries and inconsistent play have made the defense one of the worst among the elite EPL clubs.

Despite not having enough talent or depth on defense, Wenger allowed left back Gael Clichy to leave for Manchester City and has yet to replace him.

Not only do Arsenal now need a left back after Clichy's departure, they need a center back as well. They are soft in the middle of the defense with Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou, who, although skilled, are not intimidating forces. 

Goalkeeping was an absolute mess for Arsenal last season, and the goalkeeper-by-committee approach is not the way to go. Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski, and Wojciech Szczesny all played in net last season for Arsenal, but none of them stepped up and made a strong case to be the regular starter.

Wenger must go after an elite goaltender in the transfer market this summer to significantly improve the defense. 

French goalkeepers Hugo Lloris of Lyon and Steven Mandanda of Marseille are two young players who have proven themselves on the big stage, and would fit in nicely with the already-strong French culture at Arsenal.

Why Wenger hasn't at least made a strong push for Lloris is beyond me.

Wenger doesn't even need to make major, club-record signings either; small signings that will add established veteran players to the team would do just fine.

Defenders such as Per Mertesacker of Werder Bremen, Stéphane Mbia of Marseille, and Leighton Baines of Everton would be tremendous additions to the defense and wouldn't cost a major transfer fee to acquire.

All of these players are strong, experienced and are no-nonsense defenders, a perfect fit for the Gunners.

If Arsenal does not make a major signing this summer, preferably on defense or in goal, they will lose fans, decrease team morale and put themselves in a long, tough battle toward a top-four EPL finish next season.

Arsenal is ready to compete with any club in any competition in Europe; all they need is a little experience, to complement their abundance of youth, and a stronger back four and goalkeeper.

Wenger has been reluctant to make many big moves in the transfer market in recent years, and if he fails to improve the roster for next season, it's time for the Frenchman to leave the club.

Nicholas Goss is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist, and is currently attending Suffolk University in Boston. Follow him on Twitter for the latest sports news.