An area where Arsenal are short on numbers is centre back, with Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny playing nearly every game this season. The duo have cemented themselves as the first choice pairing, to the extent that club captain Thomas Vermaelen is expected to leave in the summer as he searches for first team football. Expect Wenger to bring in a centre back this summer, but most clubs like to have at least four centre backs in their squad and this is the role that Isaac Hayden may find himself claiming. The 19-year-old has impressed for the Gunners at youth level, leading him to make his senior debut against West Brom in the Capital One Cup this season. Comfortable at as centre back or defensive midfielder, Haydens athleticism and strength makes him a viable candidate to step up to the first team squad. He has also skippered Arsenal at all levels of the academy and represented England's Under-19s. Wenger has previously spoken about how impressed he is with Hayden, singling out his intelligence, strength and technical skill as particularly pleasing. As Arsenal are continuing to promote the idea of creating a British Core, then the promotion of Hayden to the first team next year is a strong possibility.
Simon is an NCTJ qualified sports journalist. He has conducted interviews with Tony Adams and Peter Shilton, while also having work published in The Daily Telegraph and The Sun. Follow him on Twitter via @sr_collings.
