Arsenal: Why punting on centre-half is okay

Arsenal essentially punted on the centre-half position in the summer transfer window. While that will cost them points this season, here is why I think it is okay.

Last season, the Arsenal squad was lacking in plenty of key areas. From Unai Emery being forced to a back three because he did not have a left-back to the team being devoid of any winger or direct, dribbling attackers, there were lots of issues to fix this summer.

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Sadly, given the recent explosion in prices of the modern market and the Europa League-driven financial restrictions the Gunners were working under, it was always going to be unlikely that they could find viable and permanent solutions to all of their problems. So, head of football Raul Sanllehi and his team had to get creative.

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It started by prioritising two positions: left-back and winger. These were the only two positions where significant permanent signings for this coming season were made. Then a central midfield solution was found on loan, the slaloming Dani Ceballos signed to plug an Aaron Ramsey-shaped hole, for this year at least. A cheap but effective signing. And then came centre-back, the other gaping need in the squad.

With money now running tight and Arsenal keen to sign young players who possess both resale value and the potential to be solutions for the next decade, affordable options grew thin. Ultimately, they settled on 18-year-old William Saliba in a £27 million deal. But Saliba — and his parent club Saint-Etienne — refused to complete the transfer unless he was loaned back to the Ligue 1 side. Begrudgingly, Sanllehi agreed.

That meant that the team still needed a centre-half for this season, but now they had even less money to play with. And so, in a peculiar and unpredictable move, they signed Chelsea centre-back David Luiz for £8 million, essentially as a direct replacement for wantaway captain Laurent Koscielny. This clearly meant one thing: they were punting on the centre-back position for the 2019/20 season.

While that may seem a little odd, the logic is sound. Arsenal recognised that they could likely squeeze back into the top four without properly addressing the centre-back position and believed that the team would be more improved by investing in another winger and left-back, which I agree with. And so, they decided to wait out the centre-back pain.

Yes, Luiz will — and already has — cost the team points. And yes, Sokratis, Calum Chambers and Rob Holding are unconvincing or unproven at best candidates. But it is better to invest properly than half-heartedly; it is more beneficial to wait, be patient and then sign a true difference-maker at the position than to rashly rush into a mediocre player who marginally improves your current options.

Arsenal are playing the long game at centre-back. Will it hurt them this year? Yes. Will it cost them the top four? I don’t think so. And that is why punting on centre-half is okay.