5 Defenders Arsenal Should Target in the 2015 Summer Transfer Window

Defensively, Arsenal did pretty well in 2014/15—conceding less Premier League goals than all but champions Chelsea and the impressive Southampton.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger seemed to go through phases of the season where he would prefer one full-back over the other—first Kieran Gibbs and then Nacho Monreal on the left, and Calum Chambers, Mathieu Debuchy and Hector Bellerin on the right—but his central-defensive partnership was almost always Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny, with the January signing Gabriel making cameo appearances following his arrival from Villarreal.

The progress of the 24-year-old Brazilian is sure to be one of the more interesting aspects of the Gunners' season to watch in 2015/16, but who else should they be targeting ahead of the new campaign?

They won't sign all of the players mentioned here, of course, but the Gunners scouts could do worse than keeping an eye on them ahead of potential summer bids.

Aaron Cresswell, West Ham

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He's used to scouring and scouting players from all over the world, but if Arsene Wenger was in the mood to go shopping for a new left-back this summer, he could do worse than take a short trip from north to east London.

Kieran Gibbs' injury problems mean that he can never really be trusted, and although Nacho Monreal did impress in the latter half of the season, a move for West Ham's Aaron Cresswell would give Wenger a talented, consistent left-back who could be on the verge of an England call-up.

Evening Standard journalist Ken Dyer picked out Cresswell as the Hammers' best player of the season in an interview for premierleague.com, and it is tricky to think of too many players who have looked as at home as the former Ipswich Town man did in their first season since stepping up from Championship to Premier League.

Cresswell played in every minute of every league game for Sam Alllardyce's side, with his displays often catching the eye.

Toby Alderweireld, Atletico Madrid

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You can never have too many good players, and so although Wenger already has Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel at the club as specialist central defenders, the addition of another player who can slot into the role would increase competition for places.

Toby Alderweireld—who excelled on loan at Southampton from Atletico Madrid in 2014/15 and can also play at right-back—looks to be surplus to requirements at his parent club, with Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror claiming that he could move to the Saints permanently or perhaps switch to Arsenal's rivals Tottenham, where he would play alongside his international teammate Jan Vertonghen.

At 26, Alderweireld is of an age where he will be determined to play first-team football week in, week out and the recent resurgence of Mertesacker plus Koscielny's ongoing dependability would make that difficult at Arsenal. If Wenger were to move for him, he'd be getting a reliable squad member and someone who has good Premier League experience.

Benedikt Howedes, Schalke

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If it's versatility that Arsenal are after, then they could do a lot worse than add to the German ranks at the Emirates by making a move for Schalke's Benedikt Howedes.

The 27-year-old started and played the full 120 minutes of Germany's World Cup final win over Argentina at left-back, with Philipp Lahm on the right and Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels in the middle, but in truth the Schalke defender could have operated in any one of those roles such is his versatility.

With his club having missed out on Champions League football for next season, Howedes could well be tempted away, and the Daily Star have already linked him with a move to Arsenal this summer, although the paper also claims that Manchester United and Tottenham are also in for a player who has spent all of his professional career in Gelsenkirchen.

Jetro Willems, PSV Eindhoven

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Left-back does seem to be the area of defence in which Arsenal have the least cover and quality, and they would get all of that and more with a move for the PSV Eindhoven and Netherlands youngster Jetro Willems.

Having now matured from the raw teenager we saw on the left side of the Dutch defence at Euro 2012, Willems is now a jet-heeled 21-year-old left-back who has just recorded a staggering 13 assists in 30 appearances (ESPN) as PSV ran away with the Eredivisie title under manager Phillip Cocu.

With Hector Bellerin appearing likely to start the new season as Wenger's first-choice right-back, the addition of Willems would give the Gunners raw pace down both of their defensive flanks, with Bellerin and Willems able to join in with attacks and even add to the side's goal threat.

Arsenal has often been the home to good Dutch players, and perhaps this could be the next one.

Samuel Umtiti, Lyon

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If the Gunners have had a handful of popular Dutch players, then they've certainly had more than their fair share of French ones, and Lyon's powerful France Under-21 defender Samuel Umtiti could well add to that.

Already linked to the club—as well as to Liverpool and Manchester City—by the Daily Star, Umtiti has made 100 league appearances for OL despite being just 21 years old, and could be a strong addition if Wenger is determined to bring in a young defender he can rely on once Koscielny (29) and Mertesacker (30) pass their sell-by dates.

Like most of the players listed here, Umtiti is left-sided and can play at both left-back and in the centre, meaning that he'd add a dash of versatility as well as power to a Gunners squad who would be enriched by his addition.