Arsenal Keeping Tabs On Italian Defender - Tony Adams

While Arsenal's fluent potency going forward is oft unquestionable, their defensive rigidity was found to be lacking last season and, in a bid to remedy that woe, French manager Arsene Wenger is allegedly scouring Italy for the next great defender, according to former Portsmouth manager Tony Adams.

Adams has been working closely with Wenger since parting ways with the south coast club, has acted as a scout, and has admitted studying Serie A, and also the Eredivise which Adams believes is "decimated".

"I’ve been down to Italy mainly," Adams explained to setanta.com. "The Italians don’t usually travel well, but I think this lad that I’m looking at may if we can come up with the money and there is a money issue at the Arsenal at the moment."

On the likelihood of Wenger persisting with a transfer policy that has frustrated many an Arsenal fan in the past: buying young and spending seasons grooming and educating the player, instead of buying ready-made fixes, Adams said, "I don’t know whether he [Wenger] will end up going for a bigger player. We’ll see how much money we’ve got first.

"I have been looking at the Dutch league," he added. "But to be honest with you it’s been decimated. It’s a poor league at the moment, there’s one or two players but they’re leaving too early as well."

He added, "I think Arsenal need something in both boxes. Defensively, certainly, Arsene’s said it himself. But Sagna lost his brother and I think for six or seven months it really affected him, and Clichy’s been injured so you’ve taken the full-backs out.

"Williams Gallas has not been there either so that’s three big players who have not been in contention. It’s the balance that’s lacking. I like Alex Song, I think he’s improved but I think they need maybe even two holding players."

Alan Dawson, Goal.com