Arsenal had their struggles under Arsene Wenger in his final seasons at the club.
While they did manage to secure success in the FA Cup, they were routinely looking to finish fourth and no higher.
That was largely down to a suspect defence, with the Gunners somewhat leaky at the back, as Wenger played the likes of Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, and Gabriel Paulista.
It has now emerged, though, that even his players at the time were trying to convince Wenger to strengthen his backline.
Sport Witness carries quotes from Robin van Persie, who says he was attempting to convince the Frenchman to snap up Italy veteran Giorgio Chiellini.
Speaking to Kaj Gorgels, he claimed that he “really wanted” the Italian, who is now 36, and “made this clear to Wenger.”
He added: “I played against him a few times and he is really a winner. You saw that a few weeks ago against the Dutch national team.
“He’s 36, but gives nine elbows smiling. He keeps on smiling and doesn’t even get a yellow card. You need those kind of winners, killers, you need them.
“My own experiences…. We were very good at the front and scored a lot, but your keeper and your last line are the foundation of your team.”
GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…
Van Persie left Arsenal in 2012, when Chiellini was 28 and at his peak.
Had Arsenal actually been able to bring the veteran into the club, they would have shored up the defence for several years to come.
It would surely have cost a fortune, given that he has been with Juventus since 2005, but the Gunners really did need to invest in the backline.
They didn’t, though, and obviously suffered various disappointments in the league in the final years of the Frenchman’s reign.
Van Persie could have responsible for fixing that, though, if Wenger had listened.