In what has already constituted a rather mediocre start to the season, Arsenal succumbed to a 2-2 draw with Hull City on Saturday afternoon.The disappointing result was in no small part influenced by an ad hoc defence that included 5 foot 10 full-back Nacho Monreal at centre-half and academy right-back Hector Bellerin in his first ever Premier League appearance.Indeed, a lack of depth at the back has plagued Arsenal all season. In fact, it plagued them at times last year, which is why Arsene Wenger’s decision to part with three defenders over the summer – Thomas Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna and Carl Jenkinson – but only bring in two – Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers, both now injured – has lead to such widespread criticism from the Emirates fanbase.A plethora of decent defenders were available at knock-down prices during the off-season, soÂbefore Le Professeur starts dishing out the old ‘croissant, croissant, zere was nobody le available’ line once again, here’s a list of FIVE defenders Arsenal could’ve signed for less than £10million Â- just 1/8 of their entire summer spend.

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STEFAN DE VRIJ

Netherlands international Stefan de Vrij was one of the World Cup’s stand-out defenders. In fact, he was named in Castrol Performance Index’s all-star team, as shown below:

And rated as the best centre-back in the entire tournament by Whoscored.com:

Here’s a look at his vitals from Brazil 2014:

You might expect a defender with such impressive statistics to cost an arm and a leg, especially at just 22 years of age and with his known suitors including Manchester United and Liverpool:

But Lazio eventually snapped the former Feyenoord starlet up for a mere £6.7million, an absolute pittance considering Calum Chambers cost nearly £10million more.

Needless to say, the 6 foot 3 centre-back has been in great form since moving to the Stadio Olimpico, barring a sending off against Genoa in September, as shown below:

Here’s a look at De Vrij in action:

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Federico Fazio

What’s not to like about a 6 foot 5, Europa League-winning captain, available for just £8million through a release clause agreement, who once punched Diego Costa really, really hard?

Nothing, according to Tottenham Hotspur, who snapped up Sevilla’s Federico Fazio for precisely that fee during the final week of the summer transfer window:

It was a tough Premier League debut for the 27 year-old against Manchester City on Saturday, seeing red for this tug on Sergio Aguero:

But his prior exploits for Los Palanganos, particularly the excellent form demonstrated as he captained his side to last term’s Europa League title:

…suggest the Lilywhites have found good value for money in the Argentina international.

Fazio’s beastly stature would have made him a decent, likeminded understudy to Per Mertesacker at the Emirates, whilst his quality on the ball fits perfectly into Arsene Wenger’s progressive philosophy.

WINSTON REID

A centre-back option a little closer to home comes in the form of West Ham contract rebel Winston Reid, already being mooted as the potential saviour to Arsenal’s defensive crisis in January:

With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, the New Zealand skipper could be available for next to nothing in the new year.

But his situation has been well-documented throughout the last eighteen months and the papers believe Reid is only valued by the Hammers at around £8million so it’s not as if he was out of Arsenal’s reach during the summer.

Indeed, the 26 year-old may not be the most talented defender to ever grace the Emirates, but he’s shown remarkable consistency since West Ham returned to the top flight in 2012, winning the Hammer of the Year award a year later. Here’s his stats from the last few seasons:

Reid’s athleticism, brutishness and simple-yet-effective approach would have given the Gunners something a little different in defence. Here’s a look at the 6 foot 3 defender in action:

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FABIAN SCHAR

Another centre-back linked with a January move to the Emirates is FC Basel prodigy Fabian Schar, in no small part due to his contract expiring at the end of the season:

But one has to question why the Gunners were quiet on the Switzerland international during the summer, especially considering he’s been targeted by Barcelona before and was ranked as the best defender in the Champions League last season by Whoscored.com, as detailed below:

His World Cup outings were consistent too, making eight interceptions in two appearances as La Nati reached the quarter finals.

A real front-footed defender, who regularly takes spot kicks for Basel and once netted this incredible strike during his FC Wil days:

//www.youtube.com/embed/dH1mLudmGgg

…the 6 foot 1 defender has a lot to offer the Gunners and encapsulates much about their expansive philosophy.

A January move to north London is becoming increasingly likely, despite recent links to Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan, but allegedly valued at under £10million, Arsenal could have easily wrapped up a deal for Schar in the summer and enjoyed a much stronger start to the season. Here’s another look at the highly-rated centre-half in action:

//www.youtube.com/embed/ZpiVFCUXbz0?rel=0

TOBY ALDERWEIRELD

Arsenal didn’t even need to pay a transfer fee for Toby Alderweireld this summer, with the Belgium international eventually joining Southampton in a season-long loan on summer deadline day.

The Saints have grabbed themselves a real deal – the 25 year-old was one of the most sought-after defenders on the continent when he joined Atletico Madrid in 2013, only to soon find himself on the fringes of a squad that massively surpassed expectations by winning the La Liga title and reaching the 2014 Champions League final. He still produced decent from for the Spanish side however, albeit in a bit-part role:

Highly-rated and well-schooled by Ajax’s academy, Alderweireld has already demonstrated impressive form in the Premier League, keeping three clean sheets in four outings thus far. Here’s a look at his stats:

And his versatility would have been a huge asset to the Gunners amid their continued defensive crisis, being famed for his ability to play at right-back, left-back or centre-half.

Here’s Alderweireld in action:

//www.youtube.com/embed/xO5dDWK3_2I?rel=0

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