Arsenal Transfer Rumours: Fabian Schar Would Be Gunners' Ideal January Addition

After impressing in this season's Champions League campaign, FC Basel defender Fabian Schar is attracting a raft of winter transfer attention,with Arsenal being among his biggest admirers.

The Swiss centre-back recently starred in both legs of his club's European group-stage encounters with Chelsea, grabbing the assist during last week's 1-0 win over the Blues.

According to the Mirror's Alan Nixon, it hasn't gone unnoticed by the Gunners, either, with the North Londoners now said to be preparing a move for Schar's signature.

This season has seen Arsene Wenger's side in very balanced motion from back to front, but if a weakness was to be picked out, it would perhaps be their defensive depth.

Thanks to the talents of Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and the other wealth of midfield and attacking talent, Wenger is well-stocked when it comes to getting the ball in the back of the net.

But after all, as the old saying goes, attack might win you games, but it's defence that wins you titles.

Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker have been highly impressive when both fit and healthy this term, but more cover is needed if the club are continue their march toward a first Premier League title in a decade.

Schar fits that particular profile in that the 21-year-old is young and impressionable enough to still not be demanding of a place in the starting XI, and yet holds enough potential to one day break into it regardless.

The Swiss Super League star helped Basel claim the domestic title in his first season under Murat Yakin, as well as helped get the side to the final of the Swiss Cup. 

Since bursting into the limelight, Schar has also become a regular for the Switzerland national team and boasts an incredible record of three goals from his first five caps, all of which came in his first two international outings, showing that the youngster is indeed an attacking threat, too.

The other immediate area of attention for Wenger is a striker, with Olivier Giroud currently holding things up almost independently. But in Theo Walcott, Serge Gnabry, Nicklas Bendtner and a fit-again Lukas Podolski, there are certain emergency options to look toward up top.

For now, it's a versatile defensive talent the Frenchman should be looking at to shore things up at the back, and Schar is an affordable asset who fits the record entirely.