To say Arsenal are underperforming right now would be putting things lightly.
The Gunners are sat tenth in the table behind Crystal Palace heading into the midweek fixtures, while they're suffering from an ever-growing injury list.
Pablo Mari and Bernd Leno appear to be out for the season while Granit Xhaka is nursing an ankle problem as well.
Back to back defeats since the Premier League's resumption have only heaped the pressure on Arsenal who are now facing a huge fight to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Defensive errors and lapses in concentration have been rife since football returned for Arsenal, only adding to the problems their backline have encountered down the years. Thus, signing defenders in the summer feels like the only option.
William Saliba will be returning from his loan spell with Saint-Etienne but it would be unwise to pile huge pressures upon such a young player.
The futures of players like David Luiz are also in the up in the air, meaning the Gunners could well have a completely new central defensive pairing next season.
That's according to David Ornstein who delivered some intriguing transfer news on Monday.
Speaking on the Ornstein and Chapman podcast, the journalist revealed: "I understand there is interest in Tyrone Mings from a couple of big Premier League clubs.
"Arsenal like him too, but whether that manifests itself in a bid, whether they could afford the sort of fee Villa are looking for is a completely different matter.”
Mings only joined the Villans permanently last summer but given his performances this term, it would be quite difficult to keep him if Dean Smith's side get relegated.
GIVEMESPORT'S Matt Dawson says...
It couldn't be more evident that the Gunners need new defenders ahead of next season.
During the current Premier League campaign, Arsenal have conceded 41 goals, the same as Newcastle and Brighton, while the individual errors players like Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi make have faltered them on a regular basis.
However, someone like Mings could help to steady the ship.
Not only is he confident with the ball at his feet, registering a pass success rate close to 80%, but he's also imperious in the air - winning 2 aerial battles per game.
That may be fewer than Sokratis and Mustafi but Arsenal have had to do a considerable amount of defending this season, so much so that Leno has made the second-most saves in the entire division.
Mings has made the occasional mistake this term but he's looked far more assured than anyone in Arsenal's backline, even earning his debut for England.
Not only that, but he's also a leader, something Mikel Arteta's side lack in abundance.