This season will be remembered by all Arsenal fans as the season in which they came close to defeating Manchester City for the league title on their first attempt. In this piece, I’d like to discuss what to expect from Arsenal next season.
Arteta wants to field a world-class team next season. That is what his reported six-man transfer wishlist suggests. After being “exposed”, Arteta is eager to add quality to his team. Comparing his bench to Guardiola’s, he has no excuse but to beef up his team.
The midfield is the one position that will ultimately be transformed if all goes to plan. Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo, and Romeo Lavia are the targets most often mentioned in rumours. Of these three, I see two being signed: The desire to be better and the return to the Champions League could see Arsenal decision-makers ready to spend big. If two of these three are signed, Arsenal’s midfield would be packed with bodies. I doubt Arteta would want that; thus, some players could make way.
As Arteta said about the transfer window on SkySports: “They are always tough decisions,”
“Whether it’s to recruit or other decisions, some players sometimes don’t want to continue with us, some staff members.
“It’s always tough, especially when you have good relationships with those individuals, but we are here to win.”
“That’s the purpose of everybody at the club. We have to win and to win we have to do it in our way and to do that we have to make decisions.”
With Xhaka tipped to stay and Odegaard and Partey untouchable, it is Emile Smith-Rowe, Albert Sambi Lokonga, and Fabio Vieira who may make way. Emile Smith-Rowe’s injury this season may cost him, while Lokonga and Vieira’s failures to take their chances may see them leave in the summer (probably on loan deals, but who knows?). Some have to be sacrificed for the greater good of the project.
Anyway, even if many of the trio’s fans get hurt, considering the quality in Arteta’s midfield with Rice, Partey, Caicedo, Lavia, Odegaard, and Xhaka as options, these exits will be justified.
Arteta and his team will dethrone the Citizens next season, but in order to accomplish so, some cruel transfer decisions will be made, with some coming in and others leaving.
Who do you think will be going?
Darren N
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I don’t think teams will be queuing up to buy the likes of Elneny, Lokonga or Vieira, but there would certainly be a demand for players of the calibre of Tierney and ESR, which in turn begs the question, “why on Earth are they merely bench warmers for Arsenal”?Our squad will be substantially weakened by the loss of these two fine players who will of course require to be replaced asap.Tierney is on his way for sure but I really hope Arteta fully recognises the fact that ESR is on a par with Martinelli and Saka in terms of ability but has been unable to make the same impact due to the injuries he has suffered which are now, hopefully, behind him.
@Grandad, I suspect Arteta is trying to manage ESR, same way he’s helped Martineli out of injury, ESR is likely to replace Xhaka alongside a new CM,
I believe ESR has been back in full time training for 6 weeks, and how many minutes has he clocked up on the field of play since then.Managing back from injury I appreciate is a sensible precaution but surely Arteta should have made better use of the assets at his disposal by giving more game time to ESR, Tierney and Trossard at a time when clearly Saka and Marginally were virtually burned out?
I Completely Agree With You. However, One Main Reason Why He Kept Playing Saka And Martinelli Is Simply Because They’re Our Best Offensive Players And On The Wings… Besides, The Fact That Both Saka And Martinelli Are Double Roles Players (Attacking And Dropping Into Certain Spaces/Positions To Help Our Defense When We Don’t Have The Ball) Made Them An Ever Present In Our Team Starting Line Up Because Of The Tactical Way Arsenal Is Usually Set Up To Play By Mikel Arteta. You Will Observed That, Once One Of Them Is Being Taken Off Either When We’re Already Winning Comfortably Or Chasing A Game Or Looking For That Winning Goal Without Bringing In An Equal Offensive Player (Which We Lack On Our Bench Except For Trossard), Most Team Managers Seize The Opportunity To Attack Us On That Side Of The Wing Depending On Who Among The Two Is Substituted Especially Saka – Who Is View By Our Opponents As The Most Dangerous Offensive Player In Our Squad. Most Teams Don’t Launch A Full-Out Attack Against Us For This Simple Fact. They Rather Sit Back And Counter Attack Us If We Loose The Ball On Transition. For This Reasons, I’ve Observed The Coach Preferring To Keep Them On The Pitch Even When There Are Signs That They Should Be Taken Off For Fear Of Giving An Offensive Rival Opportunity To Attack Us.
longbenark, your idea that MA was trying to manager ESR’s minutes migt have held water many weeks ago But ESR has been fit but ignored for ages while fully fit.
I am with Grandad in his views and find it a foolish mistake by MA to have ignored such a talented player, made wose by putting his faith insuch an insipid and physically weak player as Viera.
Sorry old son but “managing ESR” wont wash. It is just a foolish error judgement by MA, IMO!
L@not only are they good players but they seem to be good people/characters too.as far as we know,they haven’t caused any drama despite not playing as much as they’d like to.
Many football fans seem to adopt a weird logic whereby a player who isn’t good enough to get into their team is nevertheless worth a lot of money to other clubs who will eagerly take him of the their hands. The reality is usually different. Players can be sold, but probably at much lower valuations than the fans of the selling club expect.
Meanwhile to buy the players they want they have to pay top dollar. Champions League money helps but that only goes so far. By the time you’ve paid for Declan Rice most of it will be gone. Unless you have oil money its a balancing act to upgrade the squad without going bust doing it.
Are you suggesting that Tierney and ESR are not sellable assets jod?
I believe that closing that “last” gap with City and the likes is the most difficult part.if we are to only bring players better than what we have,it means shopping at Harold’s against the biggest clubs in the world.
“Harolds”? ha ha!
I know you are French but surely even you have heard of the world famous HARRODS!
Typo mistake Jon!😂
So YOU claim! But it was not a spelling mistake but a totally different word. Hmm!
I guess you do not understand or know how keyboards work on new smartphones/laptops Jon.i’m also pretty sure that since moving to England in 1996,I am very well aware of the name Harrods.not only that I have probably shopped more times at Harrods than you have,not that is has anything to do with it.as for the keyboards in smartphones,once you start spelling a word ,they make several suggestions as to the word you want to use next,I just pressed the wrong one.i couldn’t care any less that you don’t believe me,I have nothing to prove to you or anyone else for that matter.
I believe this performance by Aaron Ramsdale today vs Newcastle united answers everyone doubting is qualities