Arsenal have been told to sign three "big players" in January in case William Saliba gets injured or they will be "done" by ex- Manchester United star Patrice Evra.
Mikel Arteta's men currently sit top of the Premier League, boasting a five-point advantage over nearest challengers Manchester City. It has been a sensational start to the season for the Gunners, who have lost just once in their opening 14 league fixtures.
Despite the stellar form, Evra has admitted he harbours some concerns over the level of depth Arsenal currently boast in key positions and feels Arteta will have to spend in January or risk the Gunners title tilt derailing. They are already without talismanic forward Gabriel Jesus until March as the Brazilian recovers from knee surgery.
Should something similar happen to young centre-back Saliba, Evra feels Arsenal can forget about ending their 18-year wait for a league title.
After a turbulent start to his Arsenal career that involved three loan spells before actually making his competitive debut, Saliba has now established himself as one of the first names on the Gunners team-sheet and widely regarded as the most promising central defender in the Premier League.
"We don’t know who’s going to win, it’s an exciting Premier League and it’s been an exciting start," Evra explained to Betfair.
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"For me, the three best teams right now are Arsenal, Newcastle and Manchester City. We still don’t know who’s going to win but I will tell you one thing, and this is coming from a Manchester United legend, I actually want Arsenal to win."
Evra went on to discuss his fears over the lack of depth in Arsenal's squad, before getting to Saliba and highlighting how important the 21-year-old Bondy-born defender is to the Gunners' efforts.
"Imagine if Saliba got injured, the impact he has on the team if he was to get injured they would be done. So, they need another centre-back.
"It’s a big chance for the owner of the club to backup Arteta. I’m sure that Arteta is convinced that Arsenal are going to win the league, and the players are convinced, but they need some backup."
"‘I want to see the owner really back him if he needs three big players. I don’t know what specific positions they need to go for, definitely centre-back and maybe midfield."
In light of the injury to Jesus, many fans and pundits alike have written off Arsenal's chances of still being top come the end of the season.
Up next for the Gunners is the visit of West Ham to the Emirates on Boxing Day, where Eddie Nketiah is expected to be tasked with leading the line and proving he can be a worthy deputy to Jesus in the Brazilian's absence.
