Arsenal: Desperation the worst centre-back motivator

Arsenal are making a last-ditch attempt to sign a centre-back this summer. While there is a real need at the position, signing someone out of desperation would be worrying.

Arsenal are well-versed with panic-buying, sadly. Renowned for their dallying in the transfer window, delaying deals until the final few days, during which they frantically hurry around the clearance section, pulling any clothes they can into the trolley and rushing it through the checkout that has slapped a 20% price increase on everything.

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Last summer, they were markedly more efficient in their business, wrapping up all five deals by mid-July. This year, progress has been a little slower, but entering the final week of the window, the club have successfully completed most of their deals, including the £72 million of Nicolas Pepe.

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However, if there is one position that still needs addressing, it is centre-back. At present, Arsenal have a solid but nothing more Sokratis, the hapless Shkodran Mustafi, and three vastly unproven reserves. It is not exactly the most convincing group. In signing William Saliba, they do at least have a long-term solution in place, but the French youngster will not arrive in north London for another year. For this upcoming season, the club is desperate.

There is an eagerness from the club to sign a new centre-back, especially after Laurent Koscielny departed on Tuesday. But this eagerness should not be allowed to become desperation, because bad decisions are made when desperation is the key motivator. Thankfully, Unai Emery is insistent that the only players signed would be ones who could substantially improve the team:

"“It [the summer transfer plan] has not changed, our idea and our message. Only if we can sign a player who really, really can improve our squad, then we are going to do that. If not, then not. We have good competitive players to achieve or try to achieve our target this season and we are going to be looking at something if we can sign someone, but with this idea. Only, and only, if we can improve.”"

It remains to be seen who Arsenal sign at the position, if anyone, but they would be better off signing no one than adding a mediocre player who marginally improves what they already have. Calum Chambers, Rob Holding and Dinos Mavropanos deserve a shot at proving they have what it takes to start regularly and signing a player who is slightly better than these does not really solve the position.

It would be more beneficial to roll with the punches for a year, accept that the position will be a major weakness and that it will cost you points during the season, but then throw some serious resources at the problem next summer, providing genuine, substantially improving, and long-lasting solutions.

If Arsenal sign a centre-half out of desperation, it will likely end badly. That does not mean that if they do sign a defender between now and Thursday, that it is done in panic, but the motivation must be right.