At 26-years-old, Kieran Gibbs’ progress has stagnated at the Emirates, due to some unfortunate injuries and the consistent performances shown by Nacho Monreal over the past 18 months.

This term, the Englishman has been used sparingly from the substitutes’ bench, more as a winger than in his actual position. A combination of reasons have plenty of reports suggesting Kieran’s unhappy and wants to leave this summer, in the hope of playing more regular minutes at another Premier League side perhaps.

Apart from the cup competitions, as well as a full 90 in our 3-2 home defeat against Olympiacos, Gibbs has only started and finished a Premier League game once this season. That was in our last league fixture, a 2-2 draw against Tottenham. With Monreal watching on from the bench, it was Gibbs’ time to prove his mettle, starting in his third successive game. The fearsome duo of Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo did their job effectively, making themselves a handful for the backline to collectively deal with.

Per Mertesacker is usually composed in possession but looks hesitant without the presence of Laurent Koscielny alongside him. It’s good to see Gabriel getting more minutes under his belt, and even though he probably should’ve been sent off for a cringeworthy challenge in the first-half, there is definitely potential there for him, supporters just need to be patient.

The same goes for Calum Chambers, who has split opinion between fans. He’s not agile enough to play right-back, but has the aerial presence and physique to slot into a centre-back role, whilst his passing range and spatial awareness means he’d fit in neatly as a holding midfielder.

But Gibbs impressed me the most defensively when compared to his teammates. Winning the second most aerial challenges on the field, one behind Mertesacker, he made an encouraging succession of tackles and interceptions (6 in total) to thwart Watford’s attempts at getting forward down his flank.

Instead, they relied on a fast-paced counter-attacking move, where a quick passing exchange would trigger dispersal from their midfielders, meaning a flurry of players would drive forward with intent towards our goal.

It worked, but Gibbs couldn’t be blamed for either goal. Ultimately, he’s unfortunate to have been on the losing team, and questions will now arise as to whether his recent displays are good enough to merit a sustained run in the side with Premier League fixtures coming thick-and-fast.

If the answer is no, it’d be a real shame – but not a surprise – to see him leave the club this summer.