Arsenal star William Saliba has been absent for a number of weeks now due to a back injury he sustained as the Gunners' crashed out of the Europa League last month. Mikel Arteta admitted the Frenchman has not progressed in his recovery as quickly as the club had hoped whilst Arsenal continue their Premier League title challenge.
Saliba has missed the last five fixtures for the Gunners with Rob Holding deputising alongside Gabriel Magalhaes in his absence. Arteta's side have conceded 11 goals in their last four Premier League fixtures as they now find themselves under serious pressure from Manchester City at the top of the table.
A devastating 4-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium earlier this week has left Arsenal just two points clear of the reigning champions with five games left to play. Champions League football will return to the Emirates Stadium next term and sporting director Edu Gaspar has been urged to improve the squad drastically to maintain the Gunners' upwards trajectory and cement themselves as title challengers for years to come.
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Former Arsenal defenders William Gallas and Mikael Silvestre have agreed that their old club need to reinforce Arteta's defensive options ahead of next season given Saliba's injury woes at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. Silvestre told bettingexpert.com: "The lack of centre-backs has been pricey for Arsenal and we knew from the beginning in the season that it would be the case.
"Now we can see that an injury can ruin a lot, so they would need to strengthen that position for the next season. Yes, Saliba has been very important but there is also the fact that Ben White has played as a right-back the whole season, so when an injury to Saliba happens, you can't just put him in as the centre half because then the whole defensive structure will fall apart in some way.
"I think that Arsenal need to add one player per line in the transfer window. So, definitely the centre-back should be prioritised and I'm sure that they are looking for one."
Former Arsenal defender Gallas has agreed with Silvestre and believes defence must be a key area to strengthen in the summer transfer window. Gallas told Genting Casino: "Next season Arsenal will play in the Champions League.
"That is a big competition that everyone wants to play in. I think that Arsenal needs to add one experienced player at the back. You want that player to create competition within the squad and put pressure on William Saliba and Gabriel.
"You also want that player to help William Saliba and Gabriel improve because they are both still young and they can improve parts of their game. After that, you're looking for Arteta to make sure that he finds the right balance and can rotate the squad to handle the demands of competing in the Champions League and the Premier League.
"If you look at the left-back, I’m not sure what will happen with Kieran Tierney in the summer, but if he leaves, then they will need to add another player that can come in and compete with Zinchenko. He needs to be under more pressure.
"I don't think he is brilliant defender – but we all know what he can do with the ball. You also need a top class right-back.
"This season Ben White has helped out there and it works against the smaller teams. However, when the level is higher, it is much more difficult for him to get forward and so he makes more mistakes defensively."
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