Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is the latest name to be linked with a move to the Emirates in January, United boss Louis van Gaal is expected to add to acquire a couple of defenders with the Dutch coach unhappy with his current crop.
Smalling was sent off in his last outing when he was called "stupid" by van Gaal and it now looks like the England International could now be frozen out by Van Gaal, who is never shy in making big and bold decisions with his squad.
This is not the first time that Arsene Wenger has shown interest in Smalling, during his time at Fulham, Arsenal were amongst the favourites to land the defender but nothing materialised and Smalling found himself moving to the Manchester club for a fee believed to be in the region of £10 million.
It is clear that Arsenal and Wenger have highlighted the areas that need addressing in the January transfer window, injuries to French duo Mathieu Debuchy and Laurent Koscielny have left the North London club struggling to field an orthodox back four. Fans were disappointed when former club captain Thomas Vermaelen was not replaced and now Arsenal are paying the price for that oversight.
It is plain for all to see that Wenger needs to sign at least two defenders but is Smalling the right calibre of defender? He has been in poor form this season and has struggled in big games as he did in the Manchester derby at the weekend. Arsenal fans will want another big name and be hoping the Arsenal board are true to their word when it comes to money that is available.