Arsenal Summer Transfers: Why Ashley Williams Is a Realistic Target

Recent newspaper reports have suggested that Arsenal are taking a look at Swansea City centre-half Ashley Williams.

The Guardian suggest that having lost faith in his existing Arsenal defenders, Arsene Wenger has turned his attention to the Wales international in an attempt to shore up a famously fallible back-line.

It would be an unusual signing for Arsene Wenger. At 28, Williams is older than Wenger's usual preferred age profile. He's also British, and after high-profile flops like Francis Jeffers and Richard Wright the French manager has been understandably reluctant to spend that much of players educated in these Isles.

However, go to the next slide to discover why Ashley Williams could be a perfect fit for The Gunners.

Ashley Williams: Leader

The most frequent criticism of the Arsenal side is that they lack character.

Ever since the departure of Patrick Vieira and Tony Adams, pundits have lamented the lack of a leader on the pitch. It's not necessarily a fair criticism to aim at a side that contains the burgeoning talisman that is Jack Wilshere, but one thing can be in no doubt: Ashley Williams is a born leader.

This season he has captained Swansea to triumph in the League Cup, and supplanted Aaron Ramsey as the skipper of Wales.

Crucially, he is also the vocal general of an impressive Swansea defence. Many Arsenal fans feel that Thomas Vermaelen is only Arsenal's captain by default: he's not a natural organiser.

Someone like Williams could add steel to the team's spirit, as well as strategy to the team's defence.

Ashley Williams: Footballer

The last British centre-half of note that Arsene Wenger signed was Sol Campbell. Ashley Williams is a very different beast.

Campbell's game was all about his astonishing physical qualities. He was so powerful and so quick that his lack of technical ability was rarely highlighted.

Williams is strong and fast too, but he is also a cultured footballer. His development at Swansea has been dramatic. Playing under continental managers like Roberto Martinez and Paulo Sousa have transformed in to an elegant ball-playing centre-half.

Williams learnt fluent Spanish to help Swansea's Mediterranean imports settle. He seems to speak their language pretty fluently on the pitch, too.

Ashley Williams: The Problem

Arsene Wenger is fond of saying that making signings is not the solution to all problems. When it comes to his defence, he may be right.

Ashley Williams looks excellent at the heart of the Swansea defence, but that is a defence that is extremely well-drilled and protected by one of the most strategically deployed teams in the Premier League.

Arsenal's team is far more chaotic. Williams would possibly not be able to single-handedly return to order to the defence. The real work needs to be done by coaches on the training ground, not scouts in the transfer market.

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What do you think? Would Williams be a good signing for Arsenal?