Former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn believes Mikel Arteta is still not content with his options in the right-back position at the club.
And he would not be at all surprised to see his old team splash out on the likes of Inter Milan’s Achraf Hakimi or Tariq Lamptey of Brighton in the summer.
The Gunners have had another hugely inconsistent season so far, and have looked particularly shaky in defence.
Calum Chambers has recently impressed at right-back, but the likes of Hector Bellerin and Cedric Soares have also featured in the position.
And speaking to Genting Bet, Winterburn stated his belief that this regular habit to rotate goes to show Arteta’s discomfort in the area.
“The right back position is the interesting one at Arsenal,” he said.
“When you look at the switching of players in that position, you can see that Arteta isn’t comfortable with who he has so I expect that to be addressed in the summer.”
“Arsenal have been linked with the likes of Hakimi and Lamptey.
“Whether they’re good enough or not for the club can only be decided once they’ve played 20-30 games.
“It doesn’t matter what they’ve achieved beforehand, they’re coming to a new league, club and environment so will need to prove themselves.”
Winterburn has been particularly surprised with Bellerin’s stop-start season, and believes there is a chance his spell in North London may soon be coming to an end.
(Image: Getty Images)
“I’m not sure of the reasons why Bellerin is in and out of the team,” he added. “He’s obviously been struggling since the return from that big injury and he’s always had those links with Barcelona.
“The fact that Arsenal have been linked with players in his position suggest that either Bellerin is looking for his next opportunity at Barcelona or that Arteta isn’t happy with him in that role.
“I’d imagine it is a combination of both.”
