Former Arsenal defender William Gallas says Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold would improve the Gunners’ current starting eleven.

When asked by Prime Casino which Reds player he would pick to include in Mikel Arteta’s side, Gallas replied:

“I would pick Trent Alexander-Arnold and put him in the Arsenal team. Ben White is maybe better than Alexander-Arnold defensively because Ben White is a centre-back, so defending for him is natural.”

“Offensively, Alexander-Arnold can give you so much. He creates goals, his passing is superb, and he can take really good set pieces.”

Alexander-Arnold is a quarterback more than a right-back

Despite breaking into Liverpool’s team as a fullback who would overlap and deliver killer crosses into the box, the 26-year-old has moved into an inverted role over the past couple of seasons.

It means that Alexander-Arnold has been playing more like a deep-lying playmaker; something that Arteta has used in the past with Oleksandr Zinchenko performing the role with a good deal of success.

Arsenal have injuries at the back

The Gunners will be heading into Sunday’s game against Liverpool with just two recognised fullbacks available. Arteta has confirmed there are serious doubts over the fitness of Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori, while Takehiro Tomiyasu has already been ruled out due to injury.

With William Saliba also suspended, there are limited options in defence. Zinchenko, who has only played two games this season due to his own fitness problems, is likely to start at left-back, with White on the opposite flank.

Some have suggested that Thomas Partey could fill in on the right, with White moving centrally to cover for Saliba, but Jakub Kiwior is expected to be selected alongside Gabriel. Having a makeshift backline for such an important fixture is far from ideal.

Find out who is in Arsenal’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here