Arsenal Transfers: Who Should Be Their Highest Priority?

The Arsenal Football Club. A pragmatic club. An enigmatic club. Now seven years without a trophy.

It's almost unbelievable that Arsenal's last silverware arrived in 2005, after an FA Cup triumph over bitter rivals Manchester United. 

While Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson has been able to bring in trophies one after the other, Arsene Wenger has been rather unsuccessful.

Nevertheless, Arsene has managed to take Arsenal to three cup finals—UEFA Champions League in 2006 and the Carling Cup in 2007 and 2010, not including a strong finish in the Premier League every season and a new stadium to boot. 

Success has been rendered especially difficult with the meteoric rise of Chelsea, backed by oil tycoon Roman Abramovich. And the Premier League faces even stiffer competition with Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur also looking vicious. Liverpool are steadily rising, while it seems Newcastle's glory years might also be not far behind. 

Finally, after being mocked and humiliated, Arsenal have been able to garner the respect they rightly deserve, and if the latter half of this season is any indication of their potential, opponents must be wary. They now occupy third position in the standings and have progressively improved every week. 

Once characterized by incompetence, Arsene has managed to seemingly blend youth with experience and has assembled quite a formidable team.

 At goal, Arsenal have at their disposal a reliable keeper in Wojciech Szczęsny. Szczęsny has been superb in goal and provides that added resilience to the Gunners. Ahead of the Pole, Arsenal have three quality centre-backs in Per Mertesacker, Thomas Vermaelen and my pick for the most improved player of this season, Laurent Koscielny.

At right-back, they have perhaps one of the best in the world in Bacary Sagna. Ever since he came back from injury, Sagna has been nothing short of phenomenal, supplying incisive passes into the box and also tracking back and defending with poise. 

In Alex Song, Arsenal has one of the best defensive midfielders in the league. Song represents a player who has shown to have benefited greatly with the infusion of experienced veterans like Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker. 

Besides breaking up play and shielding the back four, Song contributes more than what's required of him. His passing has really improved and he is blossoming into quite a creative, masterful player. 

Mikel Arteta has been a quality signing—his crossing is impeccable, and he holds onto the ball beautifully. His set pieces are sublime.

Aaron Ramsey, despite being a bit wasteful at times, is quickly establishing himself as a great midfielder. His passing is precise, as is his dribbling. His concentration does leave something to be desired and he is not a strong aerial player or clinical finisher, but his midfield play is superb.   

Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain has been a revelation, as we have witnessed in the handful of games he has played. During the second leg against AC Milan, he was the main reason Arsenal were almost able to turn the humongous deficit around. 

Players like Yossi Benayoun and Tomas Rosicky also provide options for rotational policies, and Benayoun and Rosicky have been known to deliver on a consistent basis.

Furthermore, Wenger boasts amongst his ranks last year's PFA young player of the season, Jack Wilshere. His comeback will give Arsenal added depth and creativity in midfield. 

The roster continues to get better when you factor in both Gervinho and Theo Walcott. Gervinho cuts inside in a remarkable fashion and his dribbling skills and passes are impressive.

Although Walcott can leave one frustrated on many occasions, he has had a splendid season thus far. He is just 22 years old.  

Above all, Arsenal has the hottest striker in World Football today in Dutchman Robin van Persie. 

With 26 goals and nine assists in 29 games, van Persie is one of the major reasons that Arsenal have managed to turn their season around. 

His injury problems seem to have disappeared and Arsenal will hope to retain his injury-free services for next season. 

Hence, one can see that Arsenal indeed have a squad capable of challenging for any trophy.

With this being said, Arsenal do need to make improvements in the team. Despite possessing quite a formidable squad, Arsenal will need to purchase some marquee signings that will give them a competitive edge and allow them to compete for trophies.

One such signing should be of a world-class, already established left-back. A quality left-back akin to Patrice Evra or Ashely Cole in their hey-days is a must. Andre Santos is severely incompetent in defense. Santos cannot defend, make interceptions, hold the ball or pass accurately.

The Brazilian does offer something whilst going forward, but if he cannot defend, what is the use for him?

Kieran Gibbs is also injured much too often.

If you look at the top teams, they have quality full-backs able to make marauding runs, but who can also track back and defend astutely.

One such full-back that has impressed me in recent months is Rafael of Manchester United. He represents a young, dynamic full-back who contributes well in attack, freeing up Antonio Valencia and supporting him.

Obviously, quality full-backs are a rarity these days, and Wenger will really have to get a foothold in the transfer marker and be a bit more aggressive.

Another position that needs to be filled is that of another striker. Not just a backup striker, but a striker on par with Robin van Persie. Someone capable of scoring goals and leading the front line even in RVP's absence. 

This allows the Dutchman to also get some rest in some games and also provide him a deputy with whom he can channel the offensive play. 

Cologne are on the verge of relegation, and Lukas Podolski would indeed be a very viable option. Problem child Mario Balotelli is likely to get the boot from City, and if there is one person who can temper such personas, it is Arsene Wenger. 

Perhaps the Italian might also be a welcomed addition. 

In conclusion, I think that there is not much Arsene Wenger needs to do. But he really does need to buy a quality left-back and also a marquee striker. Any addition would be surplus, especially in midfield, as this might hinder development of Wilshere and Ramsey. 

Follow me on Twitter: @BrenGoetze