Arsene Wenger for once appears to have options available to him and can now enjoy the welcome headache of having a strong, fully stocked, squad to select an XI from.
We have looked defensively frail this season, but the combination of astute signings, players returning from injury, and young stars breaking into the first team mean we have more depth than ever heading into the latter stages of the Premier League season.
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We have back-up in every position for the first time in a while, something that has hampered us on a number of occasions in the past. The full-back position has been a weakness for us previously, but we look fully stocked after a successful January transfer window.
With that in mind, we at All Arsenal have ranked our full-back options when everyone is fit and available:
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Right-backs:
Gabriel Paulista
The Brazilian may prove to be a fantastic option at full-back, but as of yet he is unproven. He has surely been brought to the club primarily to be used in the centre of defence, but his versatilty could prove to be a real asset.
Calum Chambers
Arsene Wenger claims he eventually sees the young Englishman as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder, but he has been deployed largely on the right since we signed him from Southampton this past summer. He lacks the mobility to really excel in the role, and should eventually be moved further infield.
Carl Jenkinson
The 22-year-old right-back has been superb on loan at West Ham this season, and has really thrived with regular first team football available to him. It would be a terrible shame to see him fail to make the grade at Arsenal, but with the loyal Gooner arguably slipping some way down the pecking order that is looking like a real possibility.
Hector Bellerin
Hands down the best option available to us currently, the young Spaniard has been fantastic in his recent outings. With just a handful of appearances under his belt he still has some way to go before he can be considered our undisputed first choice right-back, but if he continues to grow at this rate he is a definite contender.
Mathieu Debuchy
The Frenchman has been really solid on the rare occasion he has taken to the field, but unfortunately his season has been destroyed by injuries. When fit and firing his experience arguably still makes him first choice, but he certainly needs to be looking over his shoulder at the progress of young Hector Bellerin.
Left-backs:
Gabriel Paulista
See above…
Kieran Gibbs
At the start of the season Gibbs was our undisputed first choice, but Nacho Monreal has come on leaps and bounds this campaign. The Englishman has suffered once again with a number of niggling injuries, while his Spanish teammate has been slowly cementing his place as the Alpha left-back.
Nacho Monreal
The 28-year-old has been excellent at times this season, and has really surprised more than a few Arsenal fans. He still has a mistake or two in his game, but he has been fantastic at balancing attack with defence when required and has been a large part of our defensive stability.
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