A good transfer window but not a satisfactory one

In the end we struck in stoppage time, no this is not Ramsey nodding home the winner or Giroud equalising in the end but this time Arsenal Football Club secured the services of a player deep in borrowed time on deadline day. Welcome to Arsenal, Danny Welbeck.

It was by no means a satisfactory conclusion to the transfer window, yes we got a young, promising striker, we bought a world class player in Sanchez, replaced Sagna with Debuchy, added the immensely talented but inexperienced Chambers and a decent back up goalkeeper in Ospina but what about our centre back ? We are just one injury or suspension away from disaster.

For all the clamour for a centre forward, we had Sanogo or Campbell to play in that position but who do we play in central defence if Per or Kozzer end up on the treatment table. Imagine a defensive pair of Monreal and Chambers thrown in the deep end at Anfield or Stamford Bridge. Ignasi Miguel has moved to Norwich and who do we promote, lssac Hayden?

We have only three recognised centre halves and one among them has just joined the club and is inexperienced. To go into a season with just three central defenders is gross negligence or incompetence from the club. Last season, for all our injury troubles, we were quite fortunate to have our Mertescielny axis fit for the entire season. Koscielny already has got some Achiles related problems and if it does flare up , what do we do?

On the positive, Per has retired from international football and he can take a rest, recharge himself now and then. Assuming even if they all stay fit it’s imperative that we sign a defender in January, we can’t hope for the best all the time. As Amy Lawrence writes:

Why gamble on the best-case scenario instead of preparing a contingency plan for the worst that might hit in terms of injuries or suspensions or dips in form?

I am quiet confident that once Ozil returns to full fitness, Sanchez settles in and Welbeck hits the ground running, goalscoring will not be a problem. The central defensive midfield is one I am not gonna fuss about, Flamini and Arteta are capable of holding their fort with the right tactics and mindset. For all our attacking riches and a plethora of midfield options, the bottom line is we don’t have enough depth in defence to last the distance.