Arsenal should avoid a January transfer window 'short-term fix' like David Luiz - Nigel Winterburn

Arsenal signed David Luiz on transfer deadline day last summer
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Tom Doyle8 January 2020

Arsenal should keep their powder dry and resist the urge to spend in the January transfer window unless their first-choice targets are available, according to Nigel Winterburn.

The Gunners endured a disastrous start to the 2019/20 season, with Mikel Arteta the new head coach after a run of poor results cost Unai Emery his job in November.

Arsenal have rallied since Arteta's arrival, with a 2-0 Premier League win over Manchester United and a 1-0 FA Cup win against Leeds United suggesting the club are on the right track.

Summer signings Nicolas Pepe and David Luiz have started to settle after rocky starts to life at the Emirates, though Arsenal's scatter-gun approach to transfers have left the squad well stocked in attack and short of quality at the back - while injuries have also played their part.

Arteta has admitted that his plans for defensive reinforcements may need to be brought forward with Calum Chambers out for the next 6-9 months. Bayern Munich centre-back Jerome Boateng is an option, but the Gunners have already been priced out of a move for RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano.

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David Luiz was signed from Chelsea on deadline day last summer as a last-minute addition, and former Arsenal defender Winterburn believes that Arteta and the club's hierarchy should avoid a similar sort of deal if their No.1 choices are out of reach this winter.

"We’ve been talking about Arsenal addressing a problem position at centre-half for three or four seasons now, but I guess it’s down to the manager to decide where he thinks it’s most vital to improve the squad," Winterburn told Gambling.com.

"What money has he got to spend? Can he get the right players in January? It can be very, very difficult in such a short window. If I’m honest, I don’t see Arsenal doing a lot of business this month, but it’ll be interesting to see what Arteta does.

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"They’ve been linked with a lot of players over the course of the last year and centre-half is still a priority.

"My feeling is that Arsenal shouldn’t bother with another short-term fix, they’ve got to use their money more wisely.

"I think it was obvious that David Luiz was never Arsenal’s first-choice transfer target last summer. The amount of money they were reportedly ready to spend on a new defender, only to settle for Luiz at the last minute, suggests he was a Plan B or C."

Winterburn conceded that Arteta has had a positive effect on Luiz - who impressed against United - adding: "Since Arteta’s come in, Luiz looks a lot better defensively. We know he’s got a lot of ability on the ball, but now he’s showing quality when he’s on the back foot too.

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"But I think Arsenal need to concentrate on getting that back four tighter together, as well as the protection in front of them. At the moment, I think Arteta is going to have to work with what he’s got."

Arsenal will have William Saliba to call on from next season, with last summer's signing currently back on loan at St Etienne.

Winterburn thinks that the 18-year-old could well prove an option for Arteta, adding: "You would imagine he’d come back and be a part of the first team squad and push for a starting place.

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"If we say Arsenal need two new centre-halves, perhaps he’s one of the answers, with another, more developed defender to arrive in the summer maybe.

"That might complicate matters for Arteta as he can’t see Saliba’s progress first-hand, but by all accounts he’s performing well when called upon."

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