Arsenal have started the transfer window strongly this summer. The Gunners have already bolstered their defence with highly rated Italian International and versatile defender Riccardo Calafiori. Arteta and Edu have consistently shown that they want to keep improving the squad in all areas in order to compete in all competitions. With Arsenal narrowly missing out on the league title two years in a row, expectation is higher than ever that the club goes one step further and wins the title for the first time in 21 years.
Arsenal are also expected to go deep in the Champions League this season and are likely to play more games due to the tournaments new format, playing a minimum of 8 games instead of the usual 6. The club will also want to improve their performances in the domestic cups after disappointing early exits in recent years.
With Arsenal potentially playing more completive football than ever this season and expectations being so high, it is important that the board continue to back Arteta to the best of their ability to ensure that he has everything he needs to blossom the clubs long term project. Here are the areas I feel Arsenal need to strengthen in order to take that next step.
Right Winger
In a blog I posted at the end of May last year I said that an area I would like to see Arsenal strengthen during that summer was on the right wing. This is something I feel even more strongly about now. Bukayo Saka is without a doubt in my mind a world class talent and is currently one of the best right wingers in the world. He flourished again last season playing in a total of 47 games for Arsenal scoring 20 times and assisting 14 times across all competitions. However, there were multiple times last season he was seen limping off of the pitch at the end of games and was clearly in need of some rest. I not only think that it is important to bring in a player in order to rest Saka but also provide competition to keep nurturing his development.
Want to read more on what I said about last season’s transfer window? Read more here: https://flyinghighbury.com/2023/05/what-arsenal-need-to-address-in-the-transfer-window/
A player I would like Arsenal to explore signing during the window is Juventus winger Frederico Chiesa. According to Fabrizio Romano, Chiesa is no long part of the Juventus project and it looks like the club are eager to move him on this summer. Additionally, Chiesa has just one year left on his current contract. Which should make transfer negotiations for the player a little bit easier.
I believe signing the Italian international would provide competition for Bukayo Saka and would without a doubt improve the quality of depth we have in the position currently. The 2021 Italian Football Player of the year has a wealth of experience and is a proven winner. He played a huge role in Italy’s European Championship win back in 2020. He’s also a two-time Italian Cup and has won the Italian Super Cup.
The 26-year-old had an ok season in Italy during his last campaign, playing 37 times, scoring in 10 and assisting in 3 across all competitions. It is important to highlight that Chiesa has struggled with injuries throughout his career, most notability a Cruciate-ligament tear back in the 21/22 season. This hurt his development at the time and may have affected one of his strongest attributes, his pace. This is something only he would really know though and having seen him play since then, he still has rapid speed and ability to glide with the ball.
I feel Frederico would fit Arsenal like a glove. At 26 there’s also still time for him to grow. I think Arsenal’s system would suit him and play to the player’s strengths. He would be a constant threat on the wing and would be a defender’s nightmare i and around the box with his speed and agility. He has more than enough ability to start games when needed and his attributes make him perfect for coming off of the bench to make an impact as well. Making him a perfect rotation option with Saka. I can see him playing a similar role in the side to Leandro Trossard but on the right side of the pitch.
Thinking about Arsenal’s potential fixture list this season, he should get plenty of minutes and play a big role in Arsenal’s season. Being part of a squad where he won’t start every game may also help him as this would reduce the risk of injury and could be key to seeing Chiesa return to his best. Adding a player of his quality would absolutely improve the team overall and if a deal can be done in the region of £30-£40 million I think he could be well worth the gamble.
Central Midfielder
Another area of the pitch I feel Arsenal need to consider strengthening this summer is in central midfield. With Granit Xhaka departing last summer and Thomas Partey struggling with injuries, Arsenal could use another option in this position. The North London side is reportedly in talks with Real Sociedad to bring Spanish International midfielder Mikel Merino to the Emirates. Football Transfer expect Fabrizio Romano reports that ‘Merino has agreed on personal terms with Arsenal, clubs working on deal structure/payment terms, fee over €25m.’
’ll be completely honest, I’m not very familiar with Merino. My knowledge of him is limited to the Euros. According to Sky Sports News he won the most duals in Europe’s top 5 leagues last season 326 with the next closest being Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle 286. This is seriously impressive and is absolutely something I can see appealing to Mikel Arteta and his style of play. Adding Merino would absolutely add more physicality to the side and at 6’2 his height would be a welcome addition in an already tall side. It’s also worth mentioning that Merino has previously linked up with club captain Martin Odegaard when the skipper was on loan at Real Sociedad during the 2019/20 season were the pair finished 6th in La Liga and won the Copa Del Ray.
As I mentioned previously, I haven’t seen much of Mikel Merino myself, so I’m limited to what I can say about the player. What I will say though, is his stats are very impressive. I can absolutely see him adding some balance to the midfield. I see him fitting nicely in a midfield 3 of himself, Rice and Odegaard. Alternately if Arsenal need to see out a game I could see a midfield of him, Rice and Jorginho working really well. Signing Merino also reduces some of the pressure on Thomas Partey’s fitness issues and we may see a return to form for the Ghanaian midfielder over time.
Signing a 28-year-old midfielder, with such impressive stats, who is also fresh off of winning the Euros for a reasonable fee sounds like incredibly smart business. Arsenal’s recruitment has been really strong over the last few seasons and if the deal does proceed, I’m optimistic the club may have found another gem.
Striker
According to multiple reports Arsenal are widely tipped to strengthen in the striker position this summer. The Gunners scored the second most goals in the Premier League last season finding the back of the net an impressive 91 times narrowly behind league Champions Manchester City who scored 96 times. Having said that, Arsenal’s 3 forwards netted just 22 goals in the league between them. Kai Havertez (13), Gabriel Jesus (4) and Eddie Nketiah (5). There are of course some reasons for this but I do feel this is an area Arsenal needs to strengthen in.
Overall, I think Kai had a solid first season with the club. He was brought in last summer and it took him some time to adjust in the team. He also had to build up his confidence. Once he found his feet, he found some consistency and as the season progressed his form improved. Managing to chip in with 7 assists in the league on top of his goals. I’m happy that we signed him, I do expect that he will keep improving and I think he will play a big role in the team’s progression. Be that as it may, I’m not 100% convinced that will be as a forward.
Gabriel Jesus has struggled to with injuries since joining Arsenal making just 27 appearances in the league last season 10 of which were from the bench. This has really hurt his form and he’s really struggled to find any kind of consistency. If he had been able to stay fit, I have no doubt he would have put out better numbers this season. I would like to point out that that Jesus has never been known as a prolific finisher. His best season in the league so far was in the 2019/2020 season with Manchester City when he managed to score 14 in 34 appearances.
Like Havertz, I do think Jesus can play an important role in the team going forward. If Arsenal do decide to move for a striker this summer and are unable to bring in a winger, I would like to see Jesus used in rotation with Saka on the right wing and used as a striker if needed. I see Jesus as more of a winger with decent finishing rather than a striker who has excellent finishing. He has played on the right wing before and I think his attributes are better suited for the role. He has pace, he isn’t afraid to run at players and his agility and flair makes him a constant threat in and around the box, drawing players onto him creating additional space and more attacking options for the team. I genuinely believe this is where he would excel.
It’s hard to know what to do with Eddie Nketiah. Whenever a player puts an Arsenal shirt on, I want them to do well for the club. I wouldn’t be an Arsenal fan if that wasn’t the case. I feel even more strongly about this if a player comes through the academy like Eddie. However, he is behind both Havertz and Jesus in terms of starting order and if Arsenal do decide to add another striker at 25 years of age, I find it hard to see where he fits in at the club going forward.
Nketiah played in 27 games in the Premier League last season coming off the bench 17 times and scoring just 5 times. This included a brilliant Hatrick against Sheffield United and also grabbing goals against Nottingham Forest and Fulham. He didn’t feature in Arsenal’s last 6 Premier League games and only made an impact once from the bench all season.
With multiple reports linking Nketiah with a potential move away from the club, for a fee in the region of €30 million, I think now might be the best time to move the player on in order to fund improvements in our attacking options. I would like to stress that I think the club should hold firm with their valuation of the player. Eddie has an abundance of Premier League experience, already making 119 appearances in the competition. There is still enough time to develop and I believe that his numbers would improve in a side where he was the main striker playing week in and week out. I just feel that Arsenal needs someone who improves the side now.
Arsenal don’t necessarily have a goalscoring issue. As I mentioned before we scored the second most goals in the Premier League last season. Having said that, we missed a lot of big chances last season which could have picked us up additional points. The club does lack a clinical finisher up front. Scoring the second most amount of goals in the league also highlights there’s room for improvement. I strongly believe adding a proven goal scorer to our attacking options increases our goal tally this season and makes the gap between Arsenal and Manchester City even smaller. This could well tip the Premier League title towards North London this season. The issue with proven goal scorers is that there aren’t many of them and they rarely come cheap. Arsenal are likely going to have to pay a sizable fee in order to bring one to the Emirates this summer, which is easier said than done.
The striker I would like to see Arsenal move for in this window is Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish International, 26, was a goal machine last season. Scoring 29 goals in 33 appearances in the Portuguese league. He also contributed with 9 assists. He scored an impressive 43 goals in 50 appearances with a total of 15 assists across all competitions in his last campaign. Under Arteta’s coaching and playing in this Arsenal side with the number of chances we create per game, I can really see Gyokeres smashing it in the Premier League.
The Gunners are look to have a genuine interest in the player. Tom Canton from Football.London and YouTube Channel The Gooner Talk published an article confirming that ‘Viktor Gyokeres has been a player whom Arsenal have both watched, analysed, and considered as a potential candidate to be their new striker.’ However, in regards to a deal actually materializing Tom goes on to say: ‘Sporting CP have little interest in allowing Gyokeres to leave and will demand the €100million (£86million) release clause in his contract. It is a fee that looks unlikely for Arsenal to pay for a centre-forward unless there is some major movement in regard to outgoings.’
This is a point I mentioned earlier. Proven goal scorers are tough deals to do. They are often very expensive and there are very few of them. On top of that, Arsenal have reached a point where it takes a very high level of player to come in and improve upon what we already have, which is likely to raise the prices for deals we do in other areas. This is a testament to the work Areta and Edu have done in terms of rebuilding the side and how much the team has improved over the last few seasons.
I think this also strengthens the argument to move players like Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson on this summer if the Arsenal hierarchy feel deals can be done. Outgoings may play a huge role in the improvements Arsenal are able to make to the squad. We have already seen the likes of fan favourite Emile-Smith Rowe leave the club. If Arsenal do decide to formalize an offer for a striker, I absolutely think Gyokeres should continue to be considered and would play a huge role in taking this Arsenal team up another level.
Final Thoughts
I just want to wrap up this post by sharing my current thoughts around the club. The transformation of this team over the last few seasons has been incredible. We’ve gone from wanting to get back into the Champions League, to title challengers two years in a row. We took arguably the best team in the world down to the final day of the season, the first time I’ve experienced that in my lifetime. The team also won the most Premier League games in the club’s history (29). We have a team oozing with world class talent alongside some of the best young talent in the world that should only get better. I feel such a connection to this group of players and the manager. The partnership Arteta, Edu and Richard Garlic have formed has taken the club to the edge of glory. If we nail this window like we have done over the last few. I really feel the Premier League could return to North London at the end of the season.
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