Opinion: Emery and Arsenal should think twice before getting rid of Wenger's'silent leader'

To put things bluntly, collectively, Arsenal’s defence is atrocious and has been for some time now.  Even with Arsene Wenger no longer at the Emirates, the man many supporters blame for their club’s frailties at the back, the Gunners still look very unconvincing in that department.

Individually, though, Arsenal do have a couple of defenders who can hold their heads high for their defensive performances with Nacho Monreal being one of them.

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The Spaniard is said to be a target for Barcelona (SPORT) but, considering the above, Arsenal should not rush into making any hasty decisions.

At 33, Monreal, dubbed as a “silent leader” by his previous boss (Evening Standard), is coming towards the end of his career. However, he is still of great value to this Arsenal squad. 1v1, there probably is not a better defender at the club, while his overall consistency at the back is something the north London club need more of.

Given his age, you can understand why Arsenal might want to move him on instead of committing him to a new long-term deal with Emery at the Emirates to build for the long run.

In recent weeks, for example, the Gunners have been linked with moves for younger left-backs such as Celtic’s Kieran Tierney (The Scottish Sun). If they can land someone of that profile, then letting Monreal go will not be the end of the world.

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However, failing to do so, a strong possibility given the rumours circulating about how small Arsenal’s transfer budget is set to be in the summer (Daily Mail), would make getting rid of Monreal a crazy decision.