Arsenal Transfers: 10 Defenders Arsene Wenger Should Look at in January

Arsenal are currently in a fantastic vein of form, having not lost since an October 2 match to Tottenham Hotspur.

With Robin van Persie dazzling the Arsenal faithful with his immaculate scoring run, Arsene Wenger can look to a host of defenders at the January transfer window as the Gunners look to strengthen themselves to emerge in the top four of the Premier League.

Here are 10 options for Wenger to pursue.

Ashley Williams

Ashley Williams has worked wonders on defense for the newly promoted Swansea side. 

This 27-year-old Welshmen would do wonders to the depth of the Arsenal defensive line, were Vermaelen, Koscielny or Mertesacker to step out because of injury or to even take a place out on the sides of the defense to fill in in the absence of Bacary Sagna.

His playing style would be more suited to a sweeping and holding defender, rather than a winging back, though. 

This move doesn't look likely, as he would probably like to stay in his home country and help his side to stay in the Premiership. The lure of Champions League football could tempt him otherwise, as it did with Mikel Arteta this past summer.

Nevin Subotic

Borussia Dortmund has one of the strongest, up-and-coming defenders on their hands in the form of the Serbian known as Nevin Subotic.

Being named to the Team of the Year of the first half of the 2008-2009 season in the Bundesliga, Subotic is a hard-tackling defender that would add that edge of aggressiveness to the Gunner back line that could really spark a raid of the top four later on in the season.

He would be a hard signing, though. Chelsea chased him throughout last year's winter transfer window and was turned down after they submitted a formal bid of £17.5 million in mid-January. 

According to talkSPORT, however, he would leave the German side if an English club were to come calling again. 

Subotic was a part of the United States youth squad, up until U-20, when he only made two appearances for the United States. From there, he declared his loyalty to his Serbian birth country and joined the Serbian senior national team in 2009.

Jan Vertonghen

Jan Vertonghen could follow the path that Thomas Vermaelen took to North London and re-partner with his former Ajax teammate. 

This 24-year-old Belgian would fit nicely into Arsenal's defensive system, as he has played alongside Vermaelen before and plays the sort of dynamic football at Ajax.

His talent as a defender is undeniable for the likes of Arsene Wenger, as he had interests in the defender during the summer transfer window, but nothing came of it. 

January is a completely different story, though. With the likes of Liverpool (metro.co.uk) and Lyon (ITA SportPress) also interested, look for Arsenal to possibly throw their name back into the ring for this talented, young defender.

Cristian Chivu

Cristian Chivu is a name that is probably familiar to those who have heard of Inter Milan, or Italian football for that matter. 

The former Roma defender is known for his be-helmeted appearance after fracturing his skull, much like Chelsea's goalkeeper Petr Cech. 

With his age now into his fourth decade of life, it has been suggested that he is looking for challenge outside of Italy. 

According to The Daily Mail, Liverpool and Manchester City look to be the front-runners for him at this point in time, but the 31-year-old could add some vital experience to the Arsenal defense, thus giving them the possibility to catapult to the top of the table with a strong, experienced defense. 

Dejan Lovren

Dejan Lovren is a highly rated defender for French club Lyon and has been piquing the interest of top European clubs with his strong performances for Lyon. 

Though he only joined Lyon in 2010 after playing for Dinamo Zagreb and being out on loan for his last two seasons there, he is highly sought-after for his size and his on-the-ball intelligence.

The 22-year-old is taking Europe by storm with his defending. 

This Crotian is being chased after by Liverpool (metro.co.uk), AC Milan and Juventus (talkSPORT) at the moment, but a swoop by Arsenal to sure up and close up a strengthening back line could provide defensive security for several seasons to come. 

Phil Jagielka

Phil Jagielka is a name synonymous with Everton and their defending ways. 

He's a strong defender and had a move by Arsenal turned down over the summer when Arsenal could've really used him. 

With his compatriot Mikel Arteta making a move away from Merseyside, Jagielka could slot into a back line that is not shy on accepting new and, as of late, experienced talent. 

I'm looking at you, Per Mertesacker. 

Anyway, if Everton were to cash in on this move, however unlikely it is, it would add a brilliant amount of depth to a strong that has started to gel and is clawing their way up the ranks in the EPL.

Aymen Abdennour

Aymen Abdennour is a relative unknown, with an unsuccessful loan spell at Werder Bremen. 

Due to this relative anonymity, though, he becomes the perfect swipe for Arsene Wenger, combined with his relatively young age of 22.

Playing in Toulouse now, the Tunisian captain could make his way out of continental Europe to England if all goes to plan, as Arsenal continue to track his progress in France. 

Mats Hummels

Mats Hummels is another defender making waves in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund. 

While there was a lot of talk at the end of the season for the German international to move to either Inter Milan or Tottenham, nothing came of the transfer chatter. 

With the 22-year-old truly coming into his own and discovering what he can truly do as a defender, Arsene Wenger would do well to swipe him up. 

With Arsenal actively pursuing the talented Mario Goetze as well, Dortmund could look to inflate the price of Hummels to keep him in Germany for a little longer. 

Mehdi Benatia

Mehdi Benatia is a Moroccan international player that plays for Udinese in Italy at the moment. 

That very well could change by this January transfer window as the top clubs in Europe are in the chase for him. 

Such clubs would include Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United, PSG, AC Milan and Juventus, according to AS (h/t TALKSport).

Now, that's quite a list of clubs, but with a possible exit price around £10 million- £14 million, Arsenal could jump into this high-profile race for one of the most promising defenders Europe. 

Gary Cahill

What else is there to say about Gary Cahill to Arsenal that hasn't been said? 

Let's see:

He's one of the best players in England. He's unfortunately playing for a Bolton squad that is reluctant to let him go, yet the club is struggling to keep up with their opponents. (Though I wouldn't call a 5-0 thumping of Stoke City this past weekend "struggling," I digress.) 

He's probably the most likely transfer on this list, given the situation of others, but Bolton will be looking to keep his price up as Arsenal continue to keep tabs on him until January comes swinging around the corner.