With the closing of the transfer window looming ever-nearer former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn believes any hopes the Gunners have of attaining a Champions League spot this season depends on them securing a top quality centre-back.

“My worry is that if you look over the last couple of seasons the away form has been poor and the goals conceded has been 51 against both times in the league alone. That tells you that something isn’t working. 

“The problem they have now is that Holding, Chambers, Papastathopoulos, Koscielny, Mustafi and Konstantinos are all centre-halves and that is making it difficult to bring in another one because the squad is top heavy with them.

"This makes it especially frustrating that we can’t find a partnership consistent enough to least propel us towards a top four position.

What makes matters significantly worse of course is that the club’s captain and leader Laurent Koscielny is presently training with the kids after refusing to accompany the squad on a recent tour of the US.

Having skippered Arsenal many times over during his thirteen years at Highbury, Winterburn is both appalled and bemused at the stand-off that has only further complicated an already complicated summer for Unai Emery.

“I had a couple of run-ins with George Graham during his time there but I never, ever refused to play a game of football or refused to travel.

"He should have sought out a chat with the manager while they were away on tour and got that message back to the board as to why he was so unhappy with the situation.

“I think we’re all guessing why he was so upset. He may have thought there was a deal on the table and with the injuries he’s had maybe he feels like he’s put his body on the line for the club.

"Was there a free transfer in the offering? At the end of it all though you make yourself available to travel. You make yourself available to play. It’s such a shame that it looks like ending on a sour note for Koscielny and it really shouldn’t be like that.”

If the French stopper has dominated the headlines in recent weeks the story that everyone has been really talking about is Arsenal’s reported transfer budget of just £45m and this in a summer where Unai Emery was expected to rebuild the team to his own liking following Arsene Wenger’s long tenure.

With the club’s enviable financial resources and the Emirates Stadium built and paid for it was a restriction that immensely angered Gooners to the point of protest.

It came a somewhat of a surprise then when the news broke that Arsenal are closing in on a £72m deal for Lille’s lightning-quick winger Nicolas Pepe, with not only the price-tag raising eyebrows but the type of player they have decided to break the bank for. Winterburn however takes all this in his stride.

“We talk about limited transfer funds but we have to push that to the side because to then go out and spend £70m suggests there is no limited fund. I’m quite excited about the Pepe signing and I hope it goes through. It would be a disaster for the club if it didn’t.

"At the end of last season I was adamant that we needed a new centre-half; potentially a new midfield player and also a wide player as well with plenty of pace and ability to attack in the wide areas. We had a problem there and clearly Unai Emery believes that as well.

“He’s very direct, got good skill and seems difficult to knock off the ball. He seems willing to work back as well.

"I thought Arsenal’s approach work was too slow last season, particularly without Ramsey in the team, and he’s somebody who can move distances with the ball and be an exciting link-up with Lacazette and Aubameyang. I think that will be quite exciting for supporters.”

Pepe’s willingness to put in a defensive shift brings us naturally to a creative player who has regularly been criticised for not doing so, a failing that directly or otherwise led to a breakdown in trust between Mesut Ozil and his coach last term.

Can we expect a similar narrative to develop this time too or does Winterburn suspect the talented German may change his ways? The answer, the 55-year-old insists, lies in another new recruit.

“I love watching Ozil play when he’s at his very best but last season he wasn’t influential in the team and I’m not sure what was really going on.

"Was his mind not right? Was it the demands being put on him? Was it the new training regime? Did he not fit in to Unai Emery’s style?

“This season we will find out very quickly because Ceballos has come in who is a similar kind of player. So we will find out everything we need to know about Emery’s thinking within the first ten Premier League games.

"Whether Ozil can elevate this team to the next level or if Emery is not happy with his contribution. “

With the ink dry on Ceballos’ signature and Pepe expected to join very soon the final piece of business from the North London giants this window could well be the purchasing of Celtic’s Kieran Tierney and it would be remiss not to ask one of the finest exponents of left-backing his take on the potential signing.

Clearly, the two-time league champion would approve of any deal made.

“I think most full-backs now are strong on the ball and good athletes and are used to get forward. They’re used differently to when I played. Now they’re high and wide and in attacking areas earlier. Tierney fits that bill.”

This leaves us only with the coach himself who, after a year in the capital, remains something of an enigmatic quantity. Winterburn believes all will become apparent in the not-too-distant future.

"That’s because he inherited a large group of players and it’s fine to have a process in mind and put that in action but if you then realise you don’t have the right players to play that way you have to adapt.

“That’s why this season will be very, very interesting – and particularly if we can sign a couple more players – because then we’ll get to see how Unai Emery wants to play and then make a proper judgement.”

 

Quickfire Questions:

Newcastle vs Arsenal Prediction?

1-2 to Arsenal.

First Goal Scorer?

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Who Wins The Premier League?

Manchester City.

Who Wins The Champions League?

Manchester City though it slightly worries me how much they’ll miss Vincent Kompany.

 

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

England’s Ashes history is pretty up and down. Dominating through the late 1800s, the series became more competitive around the turn of the century, building to a period of Australian dominance through the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

England fought back in the mid-50s, only for Australia to hold the urn from 1959 through to 1971, when England won down under.

The 1970s and 1980s were mainly England’s, and included some of the best Test series between the two teams. The 1990s were all Australia, though, until that 2005 series.

Since then, it’s been all about home advantage. Australia haven’t won the Ashes in England since 2001, and England have been whitewashed twice in Australia since the beginning of the millennium.

For all the drama and heartbreak, there have been some magnificent Ashes moments for England down the years, here are some of the best…

 

Headingley Test (1981)

England were 1-0 down in the Ashes as the series headed to Headingley for the third Test. Having captained the first two matches, Ian Botham was replaced by Mike Brearley as skipper for the third match of the series.

Australia declared with 401 on the board in the first innings and quickly bowled England out for 174. The hosts were looking down the barrel. Defeat meant they could, at best, draw the series.

Botham provided resistance with a first innings 50. When England were following on, he strode to the wicket with that unmistakable purpose at 105/5. England needed a miracle.

What followed was the most remarkable counter-attack in Test match history. Botham crushed the ball around the ground as he made 149 not out, setting Australia 130 to win.

The tourists were still big favourites, but England’s all-rounder had given them a chance – a sniff of the most unlikely of Ashes victories.

If Botham was inspired with the bat, Bob Willis was possessed with the ball. Steaming in with his trademark snarl, Willis took 8/43 to bowl Australia out for 111 and level the series.

 

Harmison At Edgbaston (2005)

We were never going to get through this list without mentioning the greatest ever cricket match. After England raced to over 400 on the first day, and had a 99-run first innings lead, the Test was well and truly in their hands.

As they looked to bat Australia out of the match, though, Shane Warne and Brett Lee got England into trouble. A half-injured Andrew Flintoff battled England to 182 all out. Australia needed 282 to win.

Flintoff starred with the ball as he had with the bat. Dismissing Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting in one of the most unplayable overs in recent Test history, England were on course for victory.

Steve Harmison later bowled Michael Clarke with a filthy slower ball to make victory a formality as the match headed into day four.

Warne and Lee batted well together in the morning, chipping away at the 100 or so runs required. Warne stepped on his stumps after a delivery from Flintoff, bringing Michael Kasprowicz to the wicket with 62 to win.

It was meant to be easy from there. Instead, Lee and Kasprowicz fought their way to within touching distance despite a barrage from England.

With four to win, Harmison attemped a Yorker that became a full toss. Lee smacked it to the cover boundary – fortunately England had a fielder to keep it to one.

Kasprowicz was on strike. He defends one from Harmison. The next is a nasty bouncer, right at his ribs. The Australian number 11 fends it off, and it scrapes his glove on the way through.

Geraint Jones dives to his left to make an outstanding tumbling catch. England appeal. Billy Bowden raises a bent finger – England win by two runs, making it 1-1 in the series.

The match made the team, and the fans, believe that England can beat Australia and changed the course of cricket in this country.

 

Pietersen Saves The Ashes (2005)

Having two moments from the same series may seem like overkill, but if any Test series warrants it, it’s the 2005 Ashes. Needing just a draw at the Oval, England batted first hoping to kill the game.

Not making it to 400, though, gave Australia a chance. The tourists passed England’s score. Some well-timed, late-summertime dodgy English weather helped the hosts out, taking time out of the match.

England started day five at 38/1. They needed to bat sensibly and avoid collapse and the urn was theirs.

Glenn McGrath wasn’t keen on that idea – he dismissed Michael Vaughan and Ian Bell in consecutive balls to bring Kevin Pietersen, sporting a blonde-streak through his hair, to the wicket.

Pietersen survived early scares. Wickets fell around him. It became apparent England needed something special from their new man. Pietersen delivered.

Batting out the day wasn’t on Pietersen’s mind. He played a fearless – some would say reckless – innings, taking Warne, Lee and McGrath all around the ground. Maiden Test centuries do not come better than that.

Pietersen’s 158 included seven sixes (some of which were enormous), and secured England their first Ashes series victory since 1986/87.

As is tradition, the Oval is one of the 2019 Ashes Test venues – will we see anything like Pietersen’s knock?

 

Australia Skittled On Boxing Day (2010)

The Ashes was beautifully poised at 1-1 as the teams arrived at the MCG for the Boxing Day Test in 2010/11. With only one match to play, victory for England would see them retain the Ashes.

Andrew Strauss won the toss, which proved rather important. Strauss opted to have a bowl while many fans in England were just finishing off their Christmas Day celebrations.

Chris Tremlett got the tourists off to a flyer, getting Shane Watson in the fourth over. Tim Bresnan came on first change and got Phillip Hughes caught by Kevin Pietersen.

The big wicket was next: Tremlett nicked Australian captain Ricky Ponting off, with Graeme Swann claiming the catch in the slips. Australia were 37/3.

Michaels Clarke and Hussey put up some resistance. An 11-over, 21-run partnership was a wild success compared to their teammates.

Then James Anderson, who had faced criticism for his performances outside of England, got Clarke, Hussey and Steve Smith in quick succession. Clarke walked back to the pavilion with Australia 77/6. They were soon 77/8 and bowled out for 98.

By the end of day one, England already had a 59-run lead. They won the Test by an innings and 157 runs. Their Boxing Day performance provided the greatest Christmas present of all: The Ashes.

 

Broad At Trent Bridge (2015)

England were 2-1 up in the Ashes when they arrived at Trent Bridge. With no Anderson, however, the series felt very much in the balance.

When Andrew Strauss won the toss at Trent Bridge, it wasn’t a clear bat or bowl first kind of day. Stuart Broad wasn’t sure what was best – and all eyes were on him to deliver in Anderson’s absence.

The narrative was set for something out of this world. Broad was on 299 Test wickets. He got number 300 with the third ball of the match, getting Chris Rogers for a duck (his first in Test cricket).

Three balls later, Steve Smith was gone. Two balls after that, Mark Wood got David Warner. Then Broad got Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges (thanks to a ridiculous Ben Stokes catch) and Michael Clarke.

Steven Finn bowled Peter Nevill and Broad cleaned up the tail as the tourists were dismissed for 60. Broad finished with 8/15, the third-cheapest eight-fer ever, and his five wickets in 19 balls was the quickest five-wicket haul at the start of a Test ever.

England finished day one at 274/4 with the Test as good as over. England needed just two more days to win the match by an innings and regain the Ashes.

If you’re considering betting on the 2019 Ashes, Broad is a name to look out for once again – he loves the big stage.

 

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*