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Francis Coquelin training as a centerback

The club finds itself just a little short on defenders.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

In light of the news that Per Mertesacker will be sidelined for a few months, and given that Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel will be unavailable for some time due to holiday and tonsillitis, respectively, Francis Coquelin has begun emergency training as a centerback presumably to spell relief for Calum Chambers and Rob Holding in Arsenal's upcoming friendlies.

Though it's no reason to panic, mostly because the upcoming games are friendlies and the transfer market is still open for a month, it's not exactly reassuring to see that the team's most aggressive midfielder is getting ready to be an emergency sub at a position which often calls for calm heads. We've seen how this worked out with Gabriel and Coq likely won't be much of an improvement, if at all.

Let's hope for a speedy Kos and Gabs return and for this to be just a one-off experience to quickly move past.