Arsenal had a tough weekend, losing 1-0 to Newcastle. The only positive aspect of last weekend was that Manchester City also suffered a loss, as Bournemouth defeated them 2-1. Despite this, numerous interpretations emerged from the weekend’s outcome.
One major observation was that some of Arsenal’s transfer activities last summer were misguided.
The Gunners made a mistake by allowing Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, and Fabio Vieira to leave, only to sign Raheem Sterling, who has yet to demonstrate his class, and Mikel Merino, who demonstrated against Newcastle that he lacked creativity in the final third.
Without Martin Odegaard, Arsenal’s attacking play is hopeless, lacking the ability to execute attacking moves that would provide the attackers with numerous opportunities to score.
It’s intriguing to note that Emile Smith Rowe, who would have been the perfect player to rely on during Odegaard’s absence, has been excelling with his new club.
Until last season, injuries had hindered Smith Rowe’s efforts to re-establish himself at the Emirates Stadium, disrupting his momentum since his breakout season in 2021-22, during which he scored 10 goals and provided 2 assists in 33 games. Arsenal decided to let him go in the summer; he joined Fulham.
At Fulham, Smith Rowe has contributed to 4 goals with his 2 goals and 2 assists in 9 games, demonstrating a return to his peak performance. Looking at Leandro Trossard’s statistics, he has only 2 goals in 10 games. Plus, as per FBREF, the Belgian only manages a mere 0.18 goal-creating actions per 90 in the PL, while Smith Rowe excels with 0.72. You can’t help but feel that Smith Rowe would have been a better option in this run without Odegaard.
In Arsenal’s defeat to Newcastle, the Gunners demonstrated a lack of attacking intent, evidently lacking a creative player in their midfield.
Arsenal requires an additional creative-minded midfielder, and Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth is a suitable transfer target. Ethan Nwaneri also needs to significantly step up and challenge Arteta with his performance on the training pitch, as many believe he can play a role in the team.
Ultimately, the summer transfer window weakened our attack – among the attacking players, perhaps Emile Smith Rowe shouldn’t have left – and we need to see Edu and Arteta make up for that when the transfer window opens.
What do you think?
Peter Rix
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