True Gunner Diary | Defenders

 

Mikel Arteta has built a rock-solid defensive record at Arsenal during his time in north London. The biggest defensive leaders are undoubtedly midfield partners William Saliba and Gabriel, but Arsenal's defensive game is certainly not all about them. Credit for the solid performances defensively goes to the other defenders as well, of course. And not only them, but in a way the whole team. But now let's look purely at the defenders' roster.

#2 William Saliba

Rolls Royce between the defenders. That's what most of his teammates call the French stopper. No wonder. Unbelievable vision on the pitch, strength in personal duels whether on the ground or in the air, speed, quality distribution and calmness. All these attributes describe William Saliba to a tee. He is deservedly considered one of the best central defenders in world football at the moment.

#3 Cristhian Mosquera

The lanky Spanish stopper signed for Arsenal in the summer transfer window ahead of the 2025/2026 season. On the one hand, coming to a club where the pair of William Saliba and Gabriel dominate the stopper position at the age of 21 may not seem like an ideal choice. On the other hand, there probably aren't many better players for a young stopper to learn from than Saliba and Gabriel. Moreover, with the huge amount of games that the top English teams have on their schedule, he will surely get some space on the pitch early in his engagement.

#4 Ben White

Loved by Arsenal fans, hated by others. This is also a simple way to describe the English defender. In footballing terms, Ben White is one of the greatest ever. It doesn't happen that he misses a single game. Defensively, he does his job honestly, offensively he doesn't skimp on his stride and tirelessly supports the players in front of him. So why is he so unpopular in the camp of other fans? A first-class provocateur. White likes to get on his opponents' nerves. He's particularly famous for provoking goalkeepers at Gunners' attacking corners. Last but not least, many fans also have a grudge with former England manager Garteth Southgate, under whom the Arsenal defender refused to represent.

#5 Piero Hincapié

Piero Hincapie became one of the many reinforcements to arrive at the Emirates Stadium during the summer transfer window of 2025, in which Arsenal's management was unusually active. The Ecuadorian footballer headed to London from German side Leverkusen, where he managed to win the league title without a single defeat in a season alongside former Gunners player Granit Xhaka. In terms of footballing qualities, Hincapie is particularly adorned with speed, toughness and typical South American hunger. The term warrior best describes him. On the pitch, his most natural place is the centre of the defence, or the left edge of it.

#6 Gabriel

Another modern-day Arsenal icon. Gabriel, along with William Saliba, form one of the most complex (if not the most complex) stopper duos we've seen on football turf in recent years. The stocky Brazilian has built an unshakable position in Mikel Arteta's starting eleven during his years in north London. Apart from bringing raw physical strength and leadership to Arsenal's defensive game, he poses a great danger on offensive standards.

#12 Jurriën Timber

The Dutch defensive all-rounder moved to the Emirates Stadium ahead of the 2023/2024 season, but unfortunately he suffered a serious knee injury in the first game of the season and virtually missed the entire season. A year later, however, he showed everyone why Mikel Arteta wanted his services. Strength, commitment and footballing quality all adorn Jurriën Timber, who can easily play in any position in defence. It is his versatility that makes him even more valuable to the team.

#33 Riccardo Calafiori

Riccardo Calafiori headed to North London ahead of the 2024/2025 season and became a fan favourite almost immediately. His game contains everything that is required of a player at this level. A fairly significant problem in Calafiori's case could be the relatively numerous injuries he picked up in his first season in north London. Let's hope that was just the exception proving the rule. It was injuries, combined with the "discovery" of Myles Lewis-Skelly, that have caused the Italian defender to not yet earn a stable place in the starting line-up as expected upon his arrival.

#49 Myles Lewis-Skelly

The comet of the 2024/2025 season is probably the best way to describe the meteoric rise of Myles Lewis-Skelly, the young Englishman who has blown into adult football like the wind. With numerous absentees on the left edge of defence, Mikel Arteta decided to solve the situation by bringing in a teenager from the academy. Perhaps even the Spanish manager himself had no idea at the time what a gem he held in his hands. He so impressed MLS with his performances that he became the first choice at left wing-back for the rest of the season. He even earned his first nomination to the England senior national team, where he made his first start with a goal.