Wenger Opens Up On January Transfer Plans

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger has refused to rule out a double defensive swoop for duo Villarreal’s Gabriel Paulista and St Ettienne’s Loic Perrin, the Express understands. Wenger speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Sunday clash against Stoke at the Emirates stadium, the Arsenal boss refused to deny speculation linking the Gunners with the deals. When asked if he was currently making deals for the duo, Wenger said: “No, we are not on the case [right now]. We try to keep that as quiet as possible”.

Knowing Wenger, he may well be up to something. If he was not interested in the duo, the Wenger I know would outright dismiss the rumours. Wenger’s decision to going into the current football season with just 5 senior defenders in the squad has always seemed very risky and this fact has been confirmed by how Arsenal have had to make do with young players such as Bellerin and Chambers as emergency back up for Debuchy and Koscielny respectively.

Wenger has rarely been able to field a settled backline this season because of injuries, and the lack of understanding between his first-choice defence was evident against Southampton. Wojciech Szczesny, Kieran Gibbs, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, and Mathieu Debuchy are all experienced Premier League performers, but none of them will have been pleased with their display so far this season.

Fragile, feeble, frail, crumbly, decrepit, vulnerable – best describes Arsenal’s defence as they have been exposed on countless occasions this season against oppositions with pace and directness in their attacks.

However, all hope is not lost on the Arsenal defence as the signing of either or both of Gabriel Paulista and Loic Perrin might just be the spark that Arsene Wenger’s defense needs for their revival. Nevertheless, Arsene Wenger remaining coy about the duo certainly means he has something up his sleeves and it remains to be seen if anything will materialise from the rumours.