The 5-1 defeat to Liverpool on Saturday has shown that Arsenal are still well behind where they need to be if they want to compete for the Premier League title in the near future.

One of the glaring weaknesses which was ruthlessly exposed at Anfield was the Gunners’ fragility in defence. Manager Unai Emery has switched from a back four to a back three to try and stem the flow of goals but 30 goals conceded in 20 games is a damning statistic.

No side under the management of Arsene Wenger had let in as many goals at this stage of the season. As the video below explains though, with Rob Holding out for the long-term and Arsenal unable to recall Calum Chambers from his loan spell at Fulham, Emery’s options to change things are limited:

With that being the case, the Gunners will surely have no choice but to make strengthening their backline their top priority in the January transfer window.

Director of Football Raul Sanllehi has previously stated that the club are reluctant to do business midway through the season, but if Arsenal are going to keep pace in the race for a top-four finish, they need reinforcements in defence.

The likes of Chelsea’s Gary Cahill and Manchester United’s Eric Bailly have been linked in recent months, but most of the talk has been about bringing in players further up the pitch. Whether that will change now following the loss to Liverpool, we shall see.