Arsenal Transfer News: Defensive Depth Once Again the Issue for Gunners

Arsenal could be without right-back Mathieu Debuchy for up to two months, according to reports. And his injury once again highlights the same concern that has plagued the club for the past few seasons: depth.

Le Parisien, via NBC Sports' Kyle Bonn, fears the Frenchman could be out for up to two months, which ESPN FC's injury expert Ben Dinnery believes to be a fairly good estimate:

Arsene Wenger concurred the injury "didn't look good," per Bonn, although it is important to note that there has been no official statement regarding the severity of the injury. Swelling will make a diagnosis even harder, and it could still be a while before tests reveal a conclusive result.

As noted by The Daily Telegraph's Jeremy Wilson, Calum Chambers replaced the France international at right-back against Manchester City:

The 19-year-old former Southampton defender has been a blessing for the Gunners early in the 2014-15 campaign, adapting quickly to his new surroundings and helping out wherever needed.

Chambers has been one of the club's best acquisitions of the summer, both as an immediate contributor and a long-term project. Not even Wenger could have predicted the versatile Brit would be this good this early.

It's scary to think of what could have been. If the reports that Debuchy will be out for two months are accurate and Chambers wouldn't be ready to contribute at this level, Arsenal's outlook would have been dreadful.

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The Gunners have Chelsea, Tottenham and a number of UEFA Champions League fixtures on the schedule. Facing those kind of matches with a depleted back four this early in the season would be a bleak prospect indeed.

Chambers will likely be the designated starter during Debuchy's absence. And while the team's performances shouldn't take too much of a hit, Gooner Daily is afraid what might happen if another defensive injury occurs:

Just two weeks after the final day of the 2014 summer transfer window, fans shouldn't have to worry about one injury potentially derailing the season before it has truly started.

Depth has been Arsenal's main concern for years. And in 2014, Wenger finally appeared to address it. With the likes of Danny Welbeck, Alexis Sanchez and Joel Campbell now at the club, the Gunners are ready to cope with any losses in the attacking third.

The same doesn't ring true in defence, where the loss of Thomas Vermaelen was never compensated for. Chambers is a great prospect, but the Gunners needed some kind of veteran cover to deal with exactly what is happening now: injury.

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Cheap options were available. Mario Yepes had a phenomenal 2014 World Cup with Colombia and was a free agent until he signed with San Lorenzo, according to Reuters.

The 38-year-old would have been nothing more than an insurance policy, and in a perfect world, he wouldn't have played a minute for the Gunners.

If one of Per Mertesacker or Laurent Koscielny goes down with an injury, Chambers is the only realistic backup at the centre-back position. Do fans really feel comfortable with Hector Bellerin at right-back, tasked with slowing down the likes of Eden Hazard?

The answer probably lies somewhere in midfield for Arsenal, as Wenger has a number of options he can move back one row. There's plenty of quality, and the Gunners will make do.

But regardless of who ends up filling in defensively in case of another injury, Arsenal will be forced to puzzle once again. Finding a way to deal with an untimely injury shouldn't be this complicated this early in the season.

Fans questioned the club's depth in defence the moment the transfer market closed. And if Debuchy's injury is as bad as the reports suggest, they could be proven right soon enough.

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