Three solutions to Arsenal's PROBLEM position

Cameron Smith

14 Apr 2024 21:30 BST
4 min read

Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Aston Villa couldn’t have come at a worse time.

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With Manchester City winning on Saturday and Liverpool suffering a shock defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday, the Gunners simply needed to pick up all three points against Unai Emery’s men.

Instead, they succumbed to a disappointing defeat at the Emirates Stadium and Man City are now top of the Premier League table with six games to go.

Villa were brilliant on the day and secured a double league victory over Arsenal thanks to goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins.

Before this week, Arsenal hadn’t conceded twice in the same game since the 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool in early January, but it has now happened in back-to-back matches at the Emirates following the 2-2 midweek Champions League draw against Bayern Munich.

In the aftermath of Arsenal’s first Premier League loss since, Oleksandr Zinchenko has been on the receiving end of social media anger.

Multiple Gunners fans have expressed their dissatisfaction with his defensive capabilities following his performance against Villa, in which he only won one of his four attempted ground duels and completed just one tackle.

Furthermore, Zinchenko almost cost Arsenal a direct goal after losing the ball by attempting a nutmeg on Youri Tielemans on the edge of the penalty area, with the Belgian then hitting the crossbar and the post with his subsequent shot.

Furthermore, a defensive mishap saw Zinchenko in the right-back zone for Leon Bailey’s opener, with the Jamaican free at the back post for a simple finish into a virtually empty net.

With Arsenal fans eager for Zinchenko to be permanently removed from the starting XI, the Gunners could consider looking at signing a replacement.

Of course, Jurrien Timber is expected to return to fitness next season and Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu are both able to play left-back too, but Arteta may want a more traditional left-back option in his squad too.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through three possible options.

Nuno Mendes (PSG)

This is a fanciful idea given Paris Saint-Germain would likely reject any offer for Nuno Mendes, but the Portuguese defender is one of the very in his position in the world and given both Lucas Beraldo and Lucas Hernandez can play at left-back, there may be a world in which PSG consider a sale for the right price.

Mendes would be a quality option for Arteta, although his availability may ensure a move isn’t possible.

Alphonso Davies (Bayern)

Alphonso Davies looks destined to leave Bayern Munich for Real Madrid this summer, but with Los Blancos focusing on landing Kylian Mbappe, it could present an opportunity for Arsenal to swoop.

His form has dipped this season and he is a vastly different option to Zinchenko, however signing Davies could allow Gabriel Martinelli to tuck into a more central position, which would help the Brazilian get into superior goal-scoring areas than he currently is.

© IMAGO - Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich

Federico Dimarco

Federico Dimarco has almost solely played as a left-wing-back for Inter Milan, but he is more than capable of being deployed as a left-back and he would be an excellent option for Arsenal to explore.

The Italian is a brilliant two-way full-back and his crossing ability is top notch.