If Mikel Arteta did not have defensive problems before he does now with Calum Chambers suffering an ACL injury.
The Arsenal defence has required attention for some time now, with the summer signing of David Luiz doing little to fix the problems at the back under Unai Emery.
The Gunners have, however, secured back-to-back clean sheets in their last two games against Manchester United and Leeds United, which is cause for optimism around the Emirates.
However, the recent long-term injury to Calum Chambers is a setback and one that Arteta may look to the January transfer window to solve.
Arteta and Arsenal have been linked with a number of defenders already this month, namely RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano and Juventus' Merih Demiral.
Barcelona have a couple of defenders that have caught Arsenal's eye in the past and they look set to miss out on one of them as a potential Chambers replacement.
There is a feeling around the Emirates that, given the outlay in the summer, Arteta will look to loan moves to plug holes in January.
But Arsenal look set to miss out on the loan signing of Barca defender Jean-Clair Todibo, whom they could have secured on a six-month loan deal.
According to Italian journalist Gianluca di Marzio, Todibo is set to sign a six-month loan deal with German side Schalke. AC Milan had also shown a keen interest in signing him but they wanted an option to buy at the end of the loan.
Barcelona are prepared to let the 20-year-old leave the Camp Nou on loan this month, but are not prepared to listen to deals with an option to buy as they are keen to keep hold of the young defender in the long-term.
