A Look At The Squad

This morning Arsenal announced the signing Willian on a free transfer. The Brazilian has signed on a three year deal following a seven year spell at Chelsea where he won 2 Premier Leagues, a Europa League, an FA Cup and a League Cup. Speaking about the signing Technical Director Edu stated: “It will take time but with Willian, we’ve started a big process. We’ve identified the needs in the squad and he’s the one to start to rebalance the squad as we want to.” The balance that Edu talks of is a clear issue currently. Arsenal had the youngest squad at the start of the 2019/20 season and contains a number of inadequate and overpaid players. Therefore, I’ll be looking at the current squad, as of today, to see what needs to be done.

In goal Arteta has a big decision to make. Both Leno and Martinez are coming off excellent seasons and both are deserving of a starting place for the new campaign. Leno’s experience could give him the edge as he has played at a high level for Arsenal, Leverkusen and Germany in recent years, however he can at times be unconvincing when coming for crosses. On the other hand, Martinez is Arsenal’s longest serving player and had a number of excellent games during the run in, but has only player 15 Premier League games. Either way, Arsenal will have a fantastic goalkeeper come the start of the season. It may be the case that the club cashes in on one of them in order to fund a rebuild but keeping them competing could be the best option. Since the third goalkeeper is mainly there to round out the numbers, Macey is an adequate option for that role.

It’s refreshing to go into a new season with the first choice fullbacks available. With injuries being a concern, depth in these positions is vital as backups will likely have to play a fair few games. Tierney has been excellent when fit and will hopefully be moved to his favoured left back position next season. Bellerin slowly started to find his feet following his injury and his chemistry with Pepe helped to make the right flank more dangerous, something we’ll hopefully see more next season. The acquisition of Cedric on a free transfer will mean he is Bellerin’s back up and his pedigree with Southampton and Portugal could see him push the Spaniard for a starting spot. Due to his high wages and a string of poor performances, Arsenal should look to move on Kolasinac for whatever they can get and instead try to convince Maitland-Niles to be a fullback/wing-back to occupy that space in the squad. Unless a club comes in with a good offer for Maitland-Niles, it would be favourable to keep the academy graduate on the books and his versatile skillset could be a real asset for Arsenal next season.

Central defence is a big issue for Arsenal to deal with this summer. There are too many players, most of which don’t have the quality Arteta is looking for. Both Saliba and Mari are essentially new additions for the upcoming season so it’s expected that they’ll be given the opportunity to impress. David Luiz has recently signed an extension which will see him stay at the club. Should Arteta look to persist with the back three, these three players are likely his preferred options at the current time but also gives him the flexibility to play with a back four. With the numbers Arsenal have, the club will almost definitely be looking to shift players on in this area with Mustafi, Sokratis and Chambers the obvious candidates. Whilst it’s unlikely that all three will be moved on, any money that can be brought in will be a bonus and the player/s that remain can be used as backups. Given his low wages, it makes most sense to keep Holding in the squad to act as cover. Hopefully, if one or more of these players can be moved on, there will be a space open to sign a new central defender should Arsenal have the funds.

Arguably the biggest area that Arsenal need to address is the midfield. Arteta has a lack of options in this position and this was part of the reason he switched to a back three during the season. Xhaka will be a permanent fixture in midfield again next season but beyond that there is some uncertainty. Torreira doesn’t seem suited to Arteta’s playing style and since Arsenal should be able to recoup what they paid for him, he could well be transferred to raise funds for a more suitable midfielder. Elneny is returning from a loan with Besiktas but it’s difficult to see him having a role under Arteta so it’d be surprising if he wasn’t sold. Whether they are at the club or not at the start of the season, both Guendouzi and Ozil are out of Arteta’s so a move makes most sense. Arsenal should be able to get a decent fee for Guendouzi despite his attitude problems. Ozil will be a lot harder to shift on due to his wages but the club should look to make any deal they can. Ideally this would be a good time in his development for Willock to go out on loan but, given the lack of numbers, he’ll be kept at the club to feature in a similar role as he did last season. Smith Rowe is coming off a successful loan at Huddersfield where he has been transitioned into a midfield player. He impressed in the cup competitions during Emery’s first season in charge so hopefully can do the same under Arteta in a new role. Regardless of outgoings, Arsenal have to sign a midfielder or two this summer. There’s a lack of depth and quality which has been limiting for Arteta and new additions could allow Arteta the flexibility to help the team push on.

Following the signing of Willian, Arsenal hopefully won’t need to do any business in attack. The issue Arsenal had up front last season was a lack of experience outside of Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pepe and Willian provides this experience. It has also been suggested that the Brazilian could occupy a midfield role as an attacking midfielder. His versatility and goal threat should be a boost for Arsenal next season. The biggest question mark currently in attack is Aubameyang’s future. With one year left on his deal it’s vital that he either signs or is sold in order to maximise his value. Should he stay, Arsenal’s forward options should be more than good enough for a successful campaign. Lacazette and Nketiah can continue to battle for the starting centre forward spot with the competition hopefully pushing both to score more goals. Having had a season to settle in, Pepe should kick on, contributing more goals and assists and taking over in more games. With this there should be less pressure on the shoulders of Saka who was asked to carry the team at times last season which was a big ask of the 18 year old. Martinelli and Nelson should provide good cover for the attacking roles and will play an important role as they did last season.

With the current issues with the squad, it’s encouraging to see that Edu is discussing the rebuilding that needs to be done. Arsenal have a number of players that are on too much money and or are not good enough, as well as a number of assets that should be able to generate a decent transfer budget. Should Aubameyang sign a new deal, Arsenal should be able to focus on clearing out the dead wood and bringing in a couple of midfield players and a centre back in order to help challenge for the Champions League places next season.

(Image Credit: Arsenal.com)

Adam Perry - 14/08/2020