If Arsenal sell Mathieu Debuchy this month, will the Gunners need to sign a replacement before the window closes?

Debuchy, as part of his regular transfer window tradition, announced he wants to leave Arsenal this January. The BBC’s Simon Stone claims the Gunners could use the defender as leverage in a deal for Jonny Evans. However, his departure would leave the club without an internal solution.

Hector Bellerin is the starting right-back at the moment, and that doesn’t seem like changing. Reiss Nelson played right wing-back in the Europa League, so he’s a back-up option. But for me he’s not defensively strong enough for a role in the knockout rounds. Calum Chambers is clearly preferred at centre-back now too.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles is a valid option on current form. Right-back might make more sense for a right-footed player, but then Arsenal have no alternatives on the left. It doesn’t solve the problem, it just moves it somewhere else.

The only other alternative, without spending money, is promoting from the academy. Arsenal gave Jordi Osei-Tutu a new contract last month, and Wenger called him up to the first-team squad recently. But he still hasn’t made his senior debut, so it’s a risk to rely on him.

That leaves spending money. Unless Wenger has a lot of faith in Osei-Tutu, I think the Gunners pretty much have to buy someone. It can be a right-back, a left-back, or both. As long as someone comes in.