Arsenal: Is it too soon to talk about more Zech Medley?

Arsenal’s defense is certainly in more of a predicament than before, but could it be solved with the introduction of more Zech Medley?

The news of Rob Holding‘s injury has hit the Arsenal world pretty hard. He will be out for 6-9 months after rupturing his ACL, and right as he was establishing himself as a reliable, Premier League-caliber defender who can be called upon to do his job, either in a back three or a back two.

The problem extends beyond just the emotional standpoint, however. Because what we have now is a drastic shortage of actual centerbacks, with only Mustafi and Sokratis healthy.

Now, there is an argument to be made that an actual “crisis” is still a ways off, and I’d agree with that. We have Laurent Koscielny on the verge of a return, and we have Mavropanos set to return at some point. Then there is the matter of Nacho Monreal and Lichtsteiner also capable enough to hold down the defense, if necessary.

But this is Unai Emery’s Arsenal, and in case you haven’t noticed, he is certainly keen on giving youth a chance. And with one young centerback going down for a long time, maybe it’s time for another young defender to step up.

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Rob Holding was yet another right-footed centerback forced to play the left-centerback role. Every single centerback the Gunners currently have has faced a similar issue at one point or another, except maybe Mustafi, who is apparently so right-footed that he can’t even be bothered to left-foot it.

Then there is Zech Medley. The tall, athletic, conveniently left-footed centerback who has recently made his first team debut with the Gunners.

In the small sample size that we saw of him at the professional level, it would be hard to draw any sort of conclusion one way or the other, suffice to say he didn’t look out of place, he didn’t look a liability, and he showcased his strengths as best he could.

Considering how he is left-footed, and would presumably be asked to play in a back three, would this be a good time to call more on Medley to state his case as a relevant first-teamer?

I tend to think so. He’s only played half an hour with the senior team, but in moments of desperation, sometimes you can surprise yourself with what you turn up. Again, this isn’t a crisis, but why not dig a bit deeper for a solution?