Nicolas N’Koulou
Wojciech Szczesny wasn’t the only player dropped against Bayern Munich.
Arsene Wenger rather shockingly left out his captain Thomas Vermaelen from central defence, with the Belgian far from convincing this season.
Vermaelen has a tendency to come out of defence to tackle players between the lines, and in doing so often leaves a huge gap behind him for opposition attacks to exploit.
Tottenham Hotspur exploited it twice during the north London derby, and it was notable how much more solid Arsenal looked with Laurent Koscielny partnering Per Mertesacker at the back against Bayern Munich.
Arsenal only have three senior centre backs on their books, with Johan Djourou on loan at Hannover 96 in Germany, Sebastien Squillaci practically put out to pasture and Ignasi Miquel not yet trusted.
Olympique Marseille defender Nicolas N’Koulou could be a good option to supply competition to Koscielny, Mertesacker and Vermaelen, with the Cameroon star a big part of his team’s impressive form in Ligue 1 this season.
N’Koulou has been ever present for Marseille this season, and has helped his team challenge the colossal financial might of Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais in Ligue 1 in the French title race.
His solid performances this season could make him a decent option for the Gunners – and perhaps give Vermaelen the vital incentive to improve.
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