Addressing Arsenal's "problem position" in central defence is the key issue for Mikel Arteta in the January transfer window.
That's the verdict of former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn, who has been speaking about the task ahead for Arteta, after he took charge as the Gunners' head coach last month, having been appointed as the permanent successor to Unai Emery.
Arteta has made a positive start, with wins against Manchester United and Leeds United in his last two games, having started with a draw and a defeat in his first two matches in charge.
But Winterburn said that one of his biggest tests is in the transfer market, although he said he feels that it may not be something he can rectify in January.
“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.
“They’ve been linked with a lot of players over the course of the last year and centre-half is still a priority.”
However, Winterburn had a warning for Arteta in the transfer market, adding that Arsenal cannot afford to repeat past mistakes as they look to add to their squad.
And he cited one particular transfer from the summer as an example of how his old club have fared in recent transfer windows.
"My feeling is that Arsenal shouldn’t bother with another short-term fix, they’ve got to use their money more wisely," he said in the interview.
“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."
But Winterburn has said that he feels the Brazilian centre-half has improved in recent games, after a difficult start to the season for Arsenal, with the former Chelsea man impressing in the Gunners' 2-0 win against Manchester United on New Year's Day.
"Since [Mikel] Arteta has come in, Luiz looks a lot better defensively," he said.
"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. “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."
