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Arsenal's defensive problems date back to a long time, worsening every season during Arsene Wenger's final few years at the club, and despite signing a center back every summer they would continue to make the same mistakes.
When Unai Emery was appointed Arsenal's head coach, one of his first tasks was to fix the defence, and after 18 months in charge, it's fair to say he has only made things worse. During the Spaniard's reign as Arsenal head coach, the Gunners did sign Sokratis and David Luiz, two very well established center backs in Europe, but not much changed.
There is a deeper problem as to why Arsenal continues making defensive mistakes game after game and there is no guarantee that Freddie Ljungberg could fix the problem. However, maybe what Arsenal needs is a former player who has played with some of the best defenders to finally fix their defense along with signing a top-class center back next month.
Arsenal's recruitment, especially defenders, has not been great in recent times and that is the first thing that needs to change if Arsenal's defense is to improve. There is no doubt Arsenal will be after a center back in January and here are three top class center backs the Gunners should target.
#1 Daniele Rugani
Since becoming a first-team regular for Juventus in the 2015/16 season, Daniele Rugani's involvement with the first team has consistently declined. In the last four years, Rugani has just made a total of 70 appearances in Serie A for Juventus, with the Italian managing just 2 appearances in all competitions so far this season.
Rugani has been linked with a move to Arsenal and many other clubs around Europe for some time now, and given his current situation at Juventus he will be looking for a new club in January. At 24, with his best years are still ahead of him, he will be eager to prove himself to the world and he will certainly be an upgrade on Arsenal's current choices.
Now there is no guarantee that Rugani will improve the Arsenal defense immediately, but that is a gamble they will have to take given their current situation.
The Italian has great ball control and is a good passer of the ball - two very important traits Arsenal defenders currently lack at the moment. Rugani would be an excellent addition to the Arsenal backline and with the January transfer window less than a month away, Arsenal needs to act fast if they want to sign the Italian.
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#2 Merih Demiral
A lot was and is still expected from Merih Demiral when the Turkish international moved from Sassuolo to Juventus over the summer. However, things have not gone the way of Demiral so far, with Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri not a big fan of him. The center back has just managed one appearance so far this season.
Arsenal already missed out on a top Turkish defender in Caglar Soyuncu and they should not make the same mistake with Demiral. Soyuncu has gone on to exceed expectations at Leicester City so far and he also made a huge impression while playing for Turkey during the European Qualifiers. He formed a strong partnership with Demiral, with the two of them playing a crucial role in helping Turkey qualify for the Euro 2020.
There are rumors that Demiral is already looking for a move away from the Serie A champions with one of the reported clubs interested in him being Arsenal. With reports that multiple clubs around Europe are interested in him, Arsenal needs to act fast as they look to fix their defensive problems this January.
Demiral is a very physical player, is excellent in the air, great at interceptions, and a strong tackler of the ball, although he might be a bit reckless at times.
At 21, he is still finding his feet and this presents Arsenal with the perfect opportunity to sign him as he looks to get his career back on track under a young and bright manager in Ljungberg.
#3 Samuel Umtiti
Samuel Umtiti made an instant impact at Barcelona after moving to Spain from French club Lyon. But after an impressive two and a half years, things have changed a lot for the Frenchman. He helped the Blaugrana win two league titles, two Copa del Rey and two Supercopa de Espana, but a serious knee injury last season hampered his climb to the top.
This knee injury forced him to miss more than half of Barcelona's games last season during which his compatriot Clement Langlet made a huge impression and made the center back position his own. Umtiti has just managed five appearances so far this season, and according to reports, he is desperately looking for a new club.
In the summer, Arsenal reportedly wanted to sign him on loan but went with David Luiz instead. However, given their current defensive crisis, Arsenal should be keeping an eye on him. His passing, experience and leadership will go a long way in helping Arsenal fix their defense.
He might turn out to be a little expensive for Arsenal this January but a loan deal, similar to what was reported over the summer, could very well materialize, especially considering Raul Sanllehi's connections in Barcelona.
With William Saliba set to join Arsenal at the end of this season, having Umtiti as his partner, should he end up joining Arsenal permanently, could be the long-awaited answer to Arsenal's defensive problems.
