Arsenal have exceeded many people’s expectations this season, with many thinking at the start of the campaign the club would miss out on a top 4 spot. Instead, The Gunners finished 2nd and qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 6 years. They spent the longest time at the top of the Premier League and found themselves in a title race with Manchester City. However, the North London side fell short of the title and left a taste of what could have been in the mouths of Arsenal fans around the world. Squad depth played a big role in Arsenal’s late collapse. Arsenal must get their recruitment right in the summer if they want to go one better next season. Here are the areas I think the club must improve to be title winners and compete with Europe’s elite next season.
Central Midfielders
Having a minimum of 4 quality options in the centre of the midfield will be crucial if Arsenal want to want to close the gap on Manchester City and compete in all competitions next season. With news circulating that Granit Xhaka (31) has signed a deal with Bayern Leverkusen and will leave the club this summer, it is crucial Arsenal bolster their midfield with at least 2 quality midfielders who improve the quality of the squad and can compete with Thomas Partey (29) and Jorginho (31) for places.
Arsenal’s main target for the window is said to be West Ham’s star man Declan Rice (24). I feel Rice would be a perfect addition to the squad. The England international would improve the squad, is versatile and can play as a defensive midfielder or box-to-box. He is a physical player but also isn’t afraid to run with the ball and has the ability to dictate the play. He has shown leadership abilities from a young age, he is the current West Ham captain and has high potential to improve in the future. I believe signing him would protect the long-term future of the midfield. I also feel Rice would flourish under Arteta and his system, signing him would take the club further along in development.
The club are also said to be interested in Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo (21). Caicedo would be the perfect competition for Thomas Partey and would be the long-term replacement for the world-class midfielder. Partey turns 30 in June and has picked up a number of injuries since joining the club. The team misses Partey’s physical attributes and ability to win the ball back when he is unable to play. The home game at the Emirates against league champions Manchester City this season comes to mind. Adding Caicedo improves the quality and reinforces the physicality in the midfield. He’s strong, athletic and remains composed when on the ball despite being very young. I believe he is another player who would elevate the Arsenal squad and prosper under Mikel Arteta.
While I do believe it’s highly unlikely Arsenal will be able to add both of these players to the squad this transfer window for financial reasons. I do believe that a midfield of Rice, Partey, Caicdeo and Jorginho would be a huge step towards closing the gap between us and Man City. The midfield would have a mixture of quality, leadership and experience with room to improve and blossom in the future. The Arsenal board should do everything they can to sign at least one of these targets during the transfer window.
Right Centre Back
Everyone knows that Arsenal’s title challenge took a big hit when they lost William Saliba (22) to injury. In an ideal world Ben White would have switched from right-back to cover Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu (24) would have come in at right-back. However, Arsenal also lost Tomiyasu in the same game meaning Rob Holding (27) had to come in as Saliba’s replacement. Rob Holding has been a long-serving player for Arsenal Football Club. However, the system Arteta plays doesn’t suit him and often leaves him open to being exploited. This caused a lot of problems in the run of games he played in until he was eventually replaced by the cover left-sided centre-back Jakub Kiwior (23) who had barely played for the club at the time. I also feel the gap between Holding and the other centre-backs at the club is too big and the club should look at moving him on in the summer. Arsenal should look to bring in someone who fits the system Arteta has implemented. Ideally, someone athletic, who is comfortable playing out from the back and composed on the ball. Someone who can cause competition for Saliba to keep pushing him and the team forward.
Left back/Right Back
With it looking highly likely Kieran Tierney will move on from Arsenal in the summer the club might have to invest in either a left-back or right-back during the transfer window. Although Tomiyasu has played primarily as a right-back for Arsenal his versatility allows him to play across the backline and it’s entirely possible he plays left-back as cover for Oleksandr Zinchenko (26) next season. If that is the case Arsenal should look into bringing in a right-back with similar qualities to Zinchenko. However, this is easier said than done. Tomiyasu is great defensively but he isn’t amazing going forward and playing him and White together would hamper the attack. Adding someone who is more forward-thinking like Zinchencko to partner Tomiyasu when needed who could perhaps play the inverted role on the right would bring a healthy balance to the team. Ivan Fresnada from Real Valladolid is a player Arsenal have been linked with for a while now and he could be one to watch out for in the summer.
Read More: Should Arsenal Sell Kieran Tierney in the Summer? https://flyinghighbury.com/2023/04/should-arsenal-sell-kieran-tierney-in-the-summer/
Right Winger
Bukayo Saka is one of the best young talents in football right now. The 21 year old has been flying this season. Saka has played in all 37 of Arsenal’s Premier League games this season grabbing 13 goals and 11 assists at the time of writing. He has demonstrated that he wants to be the main man in the team and with Arsenal announcing he has signed a 4 year extension. he looks set to stay at the club for a long many years to come. Saka has looked tired during the final stages off the season and could do with a rest. However, the squad don’t have much depth on the right wing. With Nicolas Pepe (27) set to be moved on in the summer and with Reiss Nelson yet to sign a contract extension, Leandro Trossard (28) was brought in during the January transfer window and can play at right wing if needed. However, I see him more as competition for Gabriel Martinelli (21), as he looks far more comfortable on the left. If Nelson fails to sign a new deal Arsenal will have to sign a backup who can for push Saka. I feel competition is essential for Saka’s development and will be needed to help him realize his full potential and become the world class player we know he can be.
Forward
Although I think it’s unlikely Arsenal will add a striker in this window as I feel they will prioritize other areas. I do feel this is a position they could improve in. Especially with it looking highly likely on loan Florian Balogun will leave the club this summer. The 21-year-old striker has 20 goals in 35 appearances in Ligue 1 for Reims this season. However, it’s being reported that the striker is behind Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah in Arsenal’s pecking order and will look for a move away from the club to secure regular first-team football.
Arsenal added striker Gabriel Jesus (26) a 4 Premier League winner from Manchester City last summer. Who in my opinion has been one of the major factors in the change of mentality around the football club. His work rate, off-the-ball work and link-up play are up there with the best in the league and has played a huge part in Arsenal’s attacking success this season. However, the Brazilian only has 10 goals in 25 Premier League appearances this season. He did return late back from the world cup due to injury however throughout his career he has never been known as top goal scorer. This is something the squad lacks.
Eddie Nketiah (23) came in to the side to replace the injured Gabriel Jesus earlier in the season following his injury at the World Cup. Although he bagged a late winner against Manchester United, he’s scored just 4 goals in 29 games. 20 of those appearances were from the bench from which he scored 0 goals. Showing that he isn’t necessarily striker who can come on and impact the game. This is something else I feel the squad is short in. Nketiah’s playstyle isn’t really a natural fit for Arteta’s system either. The team really miss Jesus when he isn’t able to play. Nketiah needs a run of games to get going and I can’t see him getting many opportunities for him to do that next season. Even less so now that Arsenal will be playing higher caliber of completion in the Champions League next season. His stats suggest he isn’t the type of player who can come on from the bench and make an impact. Its hard to see where he fits in long term at the club.
Arsenal need to add a 3rd striker to the squad. The club should either look for a more natural goal-scorer to improve upon the 14 goals scored by Jesus and Nketiah in the league this season. This could potentially free up Jesus to play on the right wing when needed taking the load off of Saka. I was excited when the club were linked with Dusan Vlhaovic (23) last season but I feel this would be a very hard deal to pull off financially and potentially due to clubs relationship with the player’s camp based on rumors around the deal last year. Alternately they could look to add an impact player with a record of coming off of the bench and changing games to come on for Jesus when we’re in need of a goal in the later stages of a game to shake things up. However, this is all easier said than done and I feel this is the least likely area Arsenal will improve this season due to priorities elsewhere.
Final thoughts
The Arsenal starting XI this year showed that they were able to compete with the very best in the league. I believe the team fell at the final hurdle not only because they were competing against arguably the greatest side in Premier history but due to a lack of squad depth and due to the side being young and having little experience in a title winning position. The players would have gained a wealth of experience this season and will look to implement what they’ve learned from this campaign into next years. Like they did last season after just falling short of Champions League qualification. However, it is so important that the board back Arteta with reinforcements this summer. I would expect Arsenal to make at least 5 signings who improve the squad now, fit Arteta’s vision and take the project to the next stage! It is absolutely essential we have quality depth in every area of the pitch and players are fighting for a place in the starting 11 if Arsenal want to compete for the league and with Europe’s best next season.
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