Arsenal Transfer Rumors: Arsene Wenger Must Make Defense His Top Priority

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was a busy man during the summer transfer window, shipping players out and bringing players in at a hectic pace.

Through it all, Wenger had to put up with a fanbase that included many people calling for his head. The Gunners' slow start out on the pitch certainly didn't help his cause.

Thanks to the way Arsenal has righted the ship since its slow start, the Wenger-must-go movement has died down quite a bit, but he still has moves to make. Injuries have stretched his club perilously thin, and the Gunners are only going to be able to go so far if they have to rely on Robin van Persie to score all their goals.

But with Thierry Henry set to make a triumphant return to North London, Arsenal's attack is poised to get a boost. Wenger, therefore, has an excuse to focus his attention on his defense, which, for the record, has been utterly decimated by injuries.

Wenger has been putting up with his injured defense for much of the season, and the Gunners have been getting by remarkably well with it, but Wenger admitted that the injury to Thomas Vermaelen is the last straw.

"We lost Vermaelen for two or three weeks, so I have to look if I can find somebody [but] only a loan," he said recently, per ESPNSoccerNet.

"It would be stupid for us to drop points because we don't have a left-back."

Wenger is right about that. Time is a'wasting in the Premier League season, and the Gunners are going to need a strong late push to finish in the top four.

As far as options go, the Daily Mail recently reported that Wenger is eyeing AC Milan's Taye Taiwo, who could be had on a loan. He's been used sparingly by Milan this season, which if nothing else, makes him a pair of fresh legs that will come without fear of injury.

The Daily Mail has also reported that Wenger is interested in Manchester City's Wayne Bridge, and it reported in December that Arsenal would target Ajax's Jan Vertonghen.

It remains to be seen which player (or players) Wenger is going to bring in, but the fact that he is keeping his options open and doing his homework should be taken as a good sign.

Is he pursuing defense options at the expense of attacking options, a need that many Arsenal fans think must be addressed?

On a surface level, it appears so. But given the state of the Gunners, this is not such a bad thing.

Though it's true that asking the Gunners to score more than one goal in a given match is asking a lot, this is a reality that hasn't killed them this season. The Gunners have been able to get by on Van Persie's brilliant season, and the reason they've been able to do that is because their defense has clamped down in a big way throughout the course of the season.

You can think back to when things were at their worst in September, when Arsenal allowed 13 goals in three Premier League games, a staggering eight of which were scored by Manchester United. Since then, Arsenal's defense has been a strength.

That's not a strength Arsenal wants to lose, and it will be lost if Wenger doesn't bring in some able bodies. 

Next to this mission, finding support for Van Persie can wait.