Former Nigeria striker Victor Ezeji has urged Arsenal to prioritise signing a defender like Leicester City's Caglar Soyuncu before Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey in the on-going transfer window.
Partey enjoyed his best season in LaLiga with Atlético Madrid - making 35 appearances and scoring three goals.
The Gunners are still looking for a talismanic figure to fill their engine room and have been heavily linked to the Black Stars talisman who reportedly has a release clause of €50million (£43.5m).
According to Ezeji, a defender needs to be top of Mikel Arteta's list to solve some of the club’s long-existing woes.
“The problem of Arsenal has been in defence," the two-time Caf Champions League winner told Goal. "It’s very difficult for you to predict that Arsenal will not concede a goal because of the way their set-up has been."
"Going forward they can score goals with the likes of [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang, [Alexandre] Lacazette and [Nicolas] Pepe," he added.
"They can score as many goals as they wish to in any game but their problem has been defensive and I think if they can bring Partey there will stability in midfield and he will also shield the backline.
“Partey is a good buy no doubt, but Arsenal must do something to their defensive line," he added. “If I’m to suggest they should go for a defender because their defence is very porous at the moment, [then] going for a player like Soyuncu is not a bad idea but that is if Leicester City are ready to let him go.
"David Luiz is not that bad, but his mistakes are very costly so they need someone that can put him on his toes. Sometimes players relax and don’t really have that motivation, but once they see competition they know if they flop, somebody else will take over from them, so they will put in their best.
“He will complement Luiz," the ex-forward added. "He has proven over time that he’s a very good defender. If Arsenal can go for him, he will definitely step up his game even more.”