Arsenal make ‘serious contact’: will this be their next defensive signing?

At the time of writing, it looks like Gabriel Paulista will be an Arsenal player before the January transfer window slams shut (if he’s not already). The Brazilian looks like a good addition to The Gunners’ squad (Villarreal do have an impressive defensive record after all), but concerns over his work permit status may force Arsene Wenger into action again.

With Laurent Koscielny a constant injury doubt and Per Mertesacker starting to produce diminishing returns, The Professor can’t afford to take a risk in this area of the pitch. One more injury could leave them seriously short of options and may even damage their chances of winning silverware.

I think it’s fair to say that if Arsenal had a better, more balanced defense this season (and had avoided their injury problems), they’d be right up there with Manchester City and Chelsea duking it out for the Premier League title.

This brings me to Loic Perrin. Remember him?

He’s the captain of Saint Etienne, who was linked to The Gunners a few weeks back. At the time things seem to be progressing pretty quickly and it looked like Arsene Wenger would add another Frenchman to his squad.

Since then, however, The Gunners seem to have started to look elsewhere. As a result, Perrin seems to be feeling a bit dismayed. Check out these comments from the 29-year-old:

‘My agent had serious contact with Arsenal before Christmas. There has been no more news since then and as such my departure has been compromised. It’s not a good sign.’ (Source: The Express)

I can’t help but wonder if Arsene Wenger should be willing to double down on his defensive recruits. This is by far the weakest area of his squad. Signing an experienced centre-back like Loic Perrin could help to rectify that. Besides, the player in question is keen on the move. It shouldn’t be too difficult for The Gunners to wrap this deal up.

What’s your take? Should The Gunners also add Loic Perrin to their ranks?

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