Earlier this month, Arsene Wenger seemingly went against his footballing principles as he conceded he is in the hunt for ‘tall players’ this summer.

For the majority of his tenure in the Premier League, the Frenchman has remained adamant that size isn’t important regarding factors which decide the outcome of a match. But upon admitting his side lack the extra 5% required to push through to win silverware, it seems that philosophy may change at the Emirates.

Chris Samba has already been strongly linked with a switch to Arsenal this summer, but according to reports, Bolton’s Gary Cahill is also on the verge of a transfer to north London.

With Thomas Vermaelen sidelined for the majority of last season, Wenger’s selection at centre-back was limited to Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou and Sebastien Squillaci. The latter failed to impress in his inaugural term in the Premier League, however, both Koscielny and Djourou, despite their inexperience, forged a partnership which was still able to help guide Arsenal to fourth.

The obvious negative is the duo, at the end of January, were facing the prospect of winning a quadruple, yet at the end of the season were still at a club waiting for their first trophy in six years.

Cahill immediately fits the bill of Wenger’s ‘tall player’. The Bolton man stands at 188 centimetres – taller than all four of Arsenal’s current first-team centre-backs.

The 25-year-old is in the same defensive statistical region as his potential Emirates team-mates too. Cahill registered an average of 1.8 tackles per game, a shade under Vermaelen’s and Koscielny’s two, while marginally beating both Squillaci (1.7) and Djourou (one).

Cahill average two interceptions per game, which, again was in a similar region to that of the Arsenal centre-backs last term. Both Vermaelen and Koscielny bettered the Bolton man with three, while Squillaci and Djourou equalled with two.

The similarity between Cahill and the rest of Arsenal’s current centre-back options may well be alarming, after all, Wenger is meant to be improving the squad, however, the statistics prove the potential arrival from Bolton would only blend in with his current options.

That thesis is correct until you look at Cahill’s clearance rate, which trumps that of any Arsenal defender. Vermaelen leads the way out of the centre-backs with six, although this comparison is slightly unfair as the Belgian started just five games last term through injury. But that total looks minimal compared to Cahill’s 11 clearances on average per league game.

Cahill also recorded an average of one blocked shot per game, a statistic only Vermaelen and Djourou can equal. Although Arsenal in averaged 11 shots against them per match last term, while Bolton averaged five more.

Cahill was also more dominant in the air than all but Vermaelen, as his aerial duel success rate was a respectable 63% - the Belgian’s, an impressive 73%.

Where Cahill may have to adjust is in Arsenal’s playing mentality. The Bolton defender averaged 28 passes per game, the lowest of Arsenal’s centre-backs, Koscielny, registered 10 more, while the highest, Vermaelen, 20 more. Cahill’s pass completion rate would also need improving as he averaged 72%, which is respectable for a mid-table side, but for Arsenal, that percentage would have been lower than any outfield player last term.

It’s safe to assume Wenger feels Cahill would be able to improve significantly in terms of distribution to fit into his Arsenal model. While his defensive statistics are sound and, in some cases, better than the centre-backs currently at the Emirates, his passing level would need to raise in order for a trophy to reach the Emirates.