Right-Back: Mathieu Debuchy – £12m
After the departure of the trustworthy Bacary Sagna, Wenger needed a right-back as Carl Jenkinson failed to impress to cement a starting spot. Mathieu Debuchy was the perfect signing and the right flank looked very solid until an ankle injury saw Debuchy miss three months.
Although he came back into the squad, he soon dislocated his shoulder against Stoke City courtesy of a nasty foul by Marko Arnautovic. By the time Debuchy recovered from that second injury, he had lost his place to the young and upcoming Hector Bellerin.
The French full-back has never been able to get back into the lineup since and rightly so. Now 31, there doesn’t seem to be a future for him at the club. Yet another promising career that was cruelly curtailed by injuries.
Centre-Back: Shkodran Mustafi – £35m
One of many deadline day signings over the years, German centre-back Shkodran Mustafi has been one of Wenger’s inspiring buys – so far. Having only been at the club for a month, he already looks a replacement for his injured compatriot Per Mertesacker.
Having forged a partnership with Laurent Koscielny, the defensive line looks a lot more composed and Mustafi has quickly adjusted to the rigour and pace of the Premier League. Still, it is early days and too soon to judge. However, it was a signing Arsenal desperately needed.
Centre-Back: Calum Chambers – £16m
Yet another player who is yet to convince at Arsenal is Calum Chambers. Signed from Southampton as a 19-year-old, he is capable of playing as a centre-back, right-back or defensive midfielder.
He has not got a good run of games in the senior team so far and has never been first choice. With tough competition at the Emirates, Wenger decided to loan him to Middlesbrough this season so he can get some experience under his belt.
Left-Back: Giovanni van Bronckhorst – £8.5m
Giovanni van Bronckhorst was a versatile player who was actually signed to replace Barcelona-bound Emmanuel Petit and partner Patrick Vieira in midfield. But the Dutch player could also play as a left-back.
However, his career at Highbury did not pan out the way he would have liked as a cruciate knee ligament injury saw him miss a few months of action. But he did play a crucial role in the 2001/02 double, eventually moving to Barcelona and finding success in La Liga and the Champions League.
