Arsenal need to be prioritising Kieran Tierney over Wilfried Zaha in their ongoing bid to bring fresh faces into the Emirates Stadium, says David Seaman.
The Gunners are stepping up their effort to land much-needed additions during the summer transfer window.
Several targets are being mooted, with Unai Emery looking to bolster his options across the field.
St Etienne youngster William Saliba has been linked with a big-money move to strengthen Arsenal at centre-half, while Crystal Palace winger Zaha has emerged as a top target for the final third.
Seaman, though, is hoping to see a long-running saga involving Celtic left-back Tierney reach a positive conclusion for those at Emirates Stadium.
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The iconic former Gunners goalkeeper told football.london: “Yes, Zaha is a good player who could do well for the club, and yes I know I would say as a former goalkeeper that the defence is the first place to look at in terms of signing new players - but the simple fact is that the backline needs strengthening.
“It's no good having the best players in the world up front if you don't have a solid defence.
“It's no secret that Arsenal need to strengthen their defence, certainly after missing out on Champions League qualification. I think Tierney would be an ideal addition for Arsenal.
“He's young, he's talented. I think I'm right in saying he's already captained his club and country and by all accounts he's a hard worker with a great attitude.
“Being British, he'd also settle in straight away and there would be no period of adjustment. I really think they should be looking to sign Tierney before setting their sights on Zaha.”
Seaman added on the qualities that 22-year-old Scotland international Tierney would bring to the fold in north London: “He's a leader and he's tenacious.
“It's always good to have leaders in the defence and Tierney would certainly be that.”
Seaman has already suggested that Arsenal should be looking to bring in another keeper, with Emery urged to consider moves for two England internationals that could be on the move over the coming weeks.
He said: "I don't think they need someone like [Markus] Schubert as [Bernd] Leno's number two either - why not look at Joe Hart or Jack Butland as a number two?
"They have loads of experience. That's the sort of quality they should be looking at as the club's number two at the moment."
