The realisation that Arsenal could line up with the same centre back partnership this weekend has got fans feeling pretty gloomy to say the least.
But that could all be about to change, after the Daily Mail exclusively revealed that the Gunners have opened talks with Atletico Madrid defender, Jose Gimenez.
That’s right, you’re finally reading an article about a defensive target that isn’t Shkodran Mustafi, and if Arsene Wenger pulls this one-off then he’ll have restored some much-needed faith.
For many frustrated supporters Gimenez is a dream signing to fill the centre back role, and will finally come in to be the quality and proven defender that we’ve been crying out for.
However, with so much desire to sign a player of his ability comes a price tag that can often scare clubs like Arsenal away from committing, despite his overwhelming potential.
The fact alone that he’s got a £56million release clause will put most teams off, but Sportsmail believe an offer in the region of £40million could be enough to buy his services.
If you add in the Mustafi deal, that could potentially be over £70million on two defenders, something that was never in script when Wenger set out his summer transfer agenda.
It certainly looks like this could be a case of one or the other, so if anything should go wrong with Mustafi in the next few days Arsenal have already got their eyes on a back-up.
Do we need him?
Last weekends opening day loss to Liverpool looked to be another blow to Wenger, who has the fan base breathing down his neck to cover the growing injury list featuring Arsenal defenders.
We won’t expect Gabriel back for at least seven weeks, whilst newly promoted captain Per Mertesacker is a write off for the majority of the season as he recovers from a serious knee ligament injury.
The physical fitness of Laurent Koscielny still has a massive question mark against it so Wenger is having to take drastic action and Gimenez looks to be the answer.
It looks as if the deal to bring Mustafi to the Emirates is entering its final stages, but Gimenez could be the standout signing and justification for Wenger haggling down the Mustafi deal.
What can he bring?
At 21 years old Gimenez is not just one for the future, he’s been a key part of Diego Simeone’s side during the 2015/16 campaign and is raring to go in any first team.
Maintaining a balance of speed and agility whilst being a central defender that isn’t afraid to get stuck in, it would almost be like having a second Laurent Koscielny in the team.
Not only can he offer something for us on the pitch this season, it also paves the way for how Arsenal’s defensive setup will look for the near future, with Mertesacker likely to call time on his career soon.
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