How do Arsenal fix defensive depth for next challenge?

And the loss of William Saliba, as well as Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko, proved the same this past season.

Mikel Arteta came to a brief solution with Jakub Kiwior filling in for Saliba at the back, demonstrating his physical presence and ball-playing abilities in impressive performances against Chelsea and Newcastle.

The Poland international is an interesting option for next season but Arteta will be looking for a right-footed fix.

The two most likely solutions will be to sign a new right-footed centre-back option or to improve the right-back depth to allow Ben White to shift across. 

Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi is one name to have been linked to deputise for Saliba, while Ivan Fresneda has been mentioned as a possible right-back deputy.

The trade-off could be price, with a back-up right-back likely to come cheaper but without the need of moving a starter, in White, to a different position to cover. 

Another question mark of defensive depth revolves around Kieran Tierney’s future as the Scotsman looks set to leave this summer amidst interest from Newcastle and Aston Villa.

Tierney’s injury issues and lack of comfort on the ball in tight spaces have caused issues when replacing Zinchenko, so it’s definitely an area that Arteta needs to solve.

One potential fix was trialled at the end of the season, with Thomas Partey filling in at right-back, White shifting to centre-back alongside Gabriel, and Kiwior playing at left-back, flipping Arsenal’s usual inverted build-up system.

We’ve seen Arsenal linked with Brighton’s Moises Caicedo over the past few months, who is also capable of filling in at fullback.

The flipped inversion gives Arteta extra flexibility in the market but with Tierney expected to depart and no obvious options returning from loan, Arsenal should dip into the market for two defensive options in the Summer.

A replacement for Tierney and a right-back or centre-back cover is a necessity to avoid a recurrence of recent years – but it may be worth saving the extra money to go big in midfield.