Arsenal: David Luiz the perfect ‘stop-gap’ solution

Arsenal have had a great end to the transfer window. The signing of David Luiz certainly divides opinion, but he is the perfect stop-gap signing.

On Thursday, the 2019 Summer transfer window ‘slammed shut’, as the media so love saying. Somewhat surprisingly, Arsenal enjoyed what many would describe as a spectacular window. The signings of players such as Nicolas Pepe and Kieran Tierney exemplify the impressive business the club conducted.

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These type of signings do not really divide opinion, due to the fact that essentially every Arsenal fan wanted them from the get-go, but there was one player who arrived on deadline day who is not uniting of the fan base, Brazilian defender, David Luiz.

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The sudden interest in the former Chelsea defender led many, including myself, to believe that the acquirement of the 32-year-old was merely a panic buy. However, it is evident that the Brazilian seems to be a stop-gap defensive signing. He is not what the club perceive to be the answer in the long term. And when one takes a step back and assesses the move more objectively, there is some sense to it.

Given the former Chelsea man’s vast experience in the Premier League, along with his low price tag, he is the perfect temporary fix to our shambolic defense. Sadly, the club are at a point where essentially any defensive addition is seen as an improvement. Players such as Shkodran Mustafi accentuate the embarrassingly awful state in which the defense is currently in. One would be delusional if they truly believed that Luiz would come in and fix the undeniable defensive deficiencies right away, however, he is certainly better than what the club had at their disposal prior to his arrival.

Luiz cost £8 million pounds. In the current market, despite his age, that is still a very low price. The wages are said to be quite high for the experienced, Brazilian defender, but the signing was still a very low-risk move due to the fact that the club only signed him onto a two-year contract.

Luiz’s signing certainly divides opinion, but nobody can argue with the fact that Arsenal could use all the help they can get going into next season, especially along the backline. The Gunners’ fantastic window came to a close with two deadline-day signings of Tierney and Luiz being completed.

The club’s hierarchy are clearly well aware of the fact that defensive reinforcements were an absolute necessity. Luiz may not be everybody’s ‘can of worms’ signing, but his experience and character in the dressing room will certainly help fill the void left by former captain Laurent Koscielny.

He is not perfect, no. He has his flaws. But for £8 million, with his experience in the Premier League and the other options available, he is an ideal stop-gap solution.