Arsenal boss Arteta convinced he’s found his long-term back four

The Gunners have been unbeaten since Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, Gabriel and Kieran Tierney first played together at the start of last month.

And with an average age of only 23, Arteta believes he has finally found four defenders capable of forming a lasting partnership and solve Arsenal’s perennial problem of shipping goals.

“I think they all have the qualities to complement each other and the connection between them is natural,” admitted Arsenal boss Arteta ahead of Saturday’s trip to Leicester.

“We are just in October, there are still eight months to play.

“In the long run we will see what we get, but so far I am really pleased with them.

“The potential is there because of the qualities they have individually and how they complement each other with those qualities.

“With the age of the group that we have, if we manage them well and they are willing to sustain that, they have a really bright future.”

Unlike Arsenal’s legendary back four of the 1990s which was all English, Arteta’s current first-choice defence contains players from Japan, England, Brazil and Scotland.

“You have to connect different cultures, languages, ways of thinking, different backgrounds, because they have all been coached in different ways,” said Arteta.

“You have to link the pieces, but I am lucky because they are so willing to learn, to understand and to try their best. When that happens it makes things a little bit easier.”