Regardless of whether Arsenal win the Premier League this season, they will want to make a few signings to bolster their squad and stay near the top. Arsenal are a strange case because they have an obvious first XI, a rarity in the modern game. There is a clear disparity between the quality of those starting games and those on the bench.


A lot of Arsenal’s summer spending will be trying to add competition for places. They’ve already started this by acquiring Jorginho from Chelsea and Leandro Trossard from Brighton. There is, however, one position on the pitch where their current option is holding them back. The position is right-back, and the player is Ben White.


The way Mikel Arteta sets his team up in possession asks a particular thing of White, which helps them to create a back-three. White tucks in alongside the two centre-backs while the left-back advances into a central midfield position.


White is a centre-back himself, really, which is why this movement allows him to get away with playing at right-back. However, the fact he’s not a true full-back does show in his game, and that’s why Napoli’s captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo would be such a mature signing on Arsenal’s part.


Positionally, Di Lorenzo performs a similar function in Napoli’s side. He spends a lot of time in that right-half-space, which can be so helpful during build-up and progression.


Currently, Arsenal are enjoying a lot of possession, but none of their back-three are particularly good at disrupting opposition mid-blocks, so much of this possession lacks purpose. Arsenal need a traditional right-back to help by carrying the ball forward. This is a great way to attract pressure and disrupt the opposition’s defensive structure. Not a regular feature of White’s game, this is something Di Lorenzo could bring. It would open up passing angles which weren’t previously available, and Arsenal could speed up their progression of the ball through the lines.


Also, there are times when Arsenal’s winger Bukayo Saka is left alone in wide areas, trying to fend off two defenders. White isn’t always attuned to knowing when to offer support, creating wide overloads. This usually means their most creative midfielder Martin Ødegaard pulls wide to help out, and he’s not then in the areas where he can cause the most danger.


What we’ve seen frequently in Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli side is Di Lorenzo engaging in wide tussles, either receiving the ball to feet in the half-space or making a half-run, underlapping his fellow winger to receive a through ball. If there’s an opportunity to penetrate the opposition’s defence, he tends to take it.


Soon, other teams will start to figure them out, so Arsenal could do with more ways of creating chances like this.


Di Lorenzo has leadership experience, is at his peak, and could end up winning the Italian league this season. Experienced winners are what Arsenal’s relatively young squad could use.