Diomande deal, Timber return - Arsenal defence stance ahead of transfer window

As the January transfer window approaches, Arsenal's defensive situation is probably the most fascinating area in the squad. Only Liverpool have conceded as few as the miserly Gunners backline this season, but Mikel Arteta may still want to reinforce next month.

Arsenal went into the season with eight orthodox senior defenders in their squad but injuries have decimated those numbers. Jurrien Timber has been out since the start of the campaign with an anterior cruciate ligament injury while Takehiro Tomiyasu has been out since the early part of December with a calf problem. Matters have only been worsened by the fact Thomas Partey - who was used at right back early on in the season - has managed just five appearances due to a string of muscle problems.

Oleksandr Zinchenko meanwhile struggled with calf injuries at the start of the season. Gabriel Magalhaes also had a muscle problem this season, while William Saliba had to manage a minor toe injury prior to the win over Manchester City.

This has left Arsenal so short at the back that Arteta used his side's final Champions League group stage clash with PSV to trial the idea of dropping Declan Rice into the centre back role. "We are very short at the back and I really wanted to try if something happens, how we're going to resolve that situation,' the Spaniard said of the tactic after the game in Holland. "He has played there before. We have to try as if we have an emergency we have to understand and to be sure that we can fill that gap in the right way."

With the lack of numbers though, there could well be scope for a transfer in the backline. Sporting Lisbon centre backs Ousmane Diomande and Goncalo Ignacio have both been linked heavily. These deals are particularly interesting given Arsenal's concerns of profit and sustainability regulations. Given their heavy spending in the summer, the Gunners are unlikely to have too much to spend in January, so loan deals with an option to buy could be preferable. Sporting showed a willingness to do this in the past when securing Pedro Porro's exit to Tottenham last season.

As things stand though, unless such a deal presents itself, it would seem internal solutions are the more likely course of action for Arsenal. Tomiyasu should be back next month, and while he is likely to miss a few games while on Asia Cup duty with Japan, there is hope that he will be available for this season's run-in. Timber meanwhile is progressing in his recovery and could be back out on the grass soon. It is still too early to put an exact timeframe on the Dutch international's return though.