End of Season Player Grades

It’s been a difficult season for Arsenal on the whole, going through 3 managers and having their worst league finish since the 1970’s. At the end of the Premier League season, 8th place wasn’t good enough to secure European Football, however, Arsenal ended the season in style with a record 14th FA Cup win over Chelsea. This brought Mikel Arteta his first trophy as a manager and has put Arsenal into the Europa League group stages for next season. Whilst it's obvious the league performance wasn’t good enough, it’s clear to see that Arteta is building something here and ending the season with a trophy is a good vindication of that.

In order to judge the players this season, their performances under all 3 managers have been taken into account, although more weight has been given to their time under current manager Mikel Arteta. Players have been judged partly on their overall performances but also what was expected of them this season.

Bernd Leno: A

It was an excellent season for Bernd Leno, who had a tricky job as Arsenal conceded 189 shots on target this year – only bettered by Norwich and Newcastle. He was a standout goalkeeper in the league with the 3rd best save percentage at 77.6%, and his performances, particularly during the early stages of the season, are a big reason Arsenal finished in the top half.

Emiliano Martinez: A*

When Leno went off injured against Brighton in June, no one could have foreseen Emi Martinez coming in and performing the way he has. Incredibly, he ranked 1st in the Premier League for save percentage with 81%, and his aerial presence and distribution alongside his shot stopping has left Mikel Arteta with a very difficult decision with regards to who his number 1 is next season. Above all it’s brilliant to see someone who’s been at the club over 10 years finally get his chance and help Arsenal to win a trophy – and you could see what it meant to him at full time against Chelsea.

(Credit: Stuart MacFarlane/Getty Images)

Hector Bellerín: C

It was a challenging campaign for Hector Bellerín, coming off a cruciate injury back into a dysfunctional team. He ended the season playing only 15 Premier League games but was able to string a run of games together during the run in to end the season on a high note. His relationship with Pépé needs work but hopefully he can push on and improve next season whilst staying injury free.

Cédric Soares: D

It’s difficult to judge Cédric Soares. He started just 3 games and came on as a substitute in 2 more, helping Mikel Arteta to rotate the side. His performances were solid enough and his debut goal against Norwich was a great way to start his Arsenal career. Hopefully he can kick on and prove his worth next season.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles: C

Ainsley Maitland-Niles had a stop start campaign, filling in when and where he was needed, as he’s done for most of his Arsenal career. He racked up 33 appearances this season playing mostly at full back or wing back, impressing in an inverted hybrid role under Arteta in both the semi-final and final of the FA Cup. With his desire to play in midfield and his bit part role, it will be interesting to see what happens with Maitland-Niles heading into next season.

Callum Chambers: C

Just as Callum Chambers had established himself in the team he suffered a cruciate ligament injury, ending his season. It’s such a shame for Chambers who’s waited a long time for his chance in the team and he surely would have played a prominent role in Arteta’s 3 at the back system. Fingers crossed he can come back from the injury and return to a similar level.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos: D

The season really went downhill for Sokratis going from starting 16 of the first 19 Premier League games to playing just 3 in the second half of the season. Despite being a solid defender, his lack of ball playing ability has seen him left out of the reckoning under Arteta and the club will surely look to move him on in the summer.

Skhodran Mustafi: C

When a case can be made that Skhodran Mustafi was the best centre back at the club this season, it’s not surprising Arsenal finished 8th. In fairness to Mustafi, it was a season of redemption for him, establishing himself back into the team and performing well in the run in. It’s a shame he missed the cup final given his efforts.

David Luiz: D

David Luiz is one of the most frustrating players to watch at the club, winning you a game with his leadership and passing range one week, and costing you the game with a calamitous mistake the next. He set a new record for the most penalties given away in a Premier League season (5) but seems to remain a key player in Arteta’s side. We just have to hope his mistakes can be limited next season.

Pablo Marí: D

As with Cédric, it’s difficult to judge Pablo Marí. He played just 204 minutes this season before picking up a season ending ankle injury. His performances have been solid enough and he’s yet to concede whilst on the field so it’s hard to fault him too much, although it’s a small sample size. Hopefully we’ll be able to see more of him next season once he returns from his injury.

Sead Kolasinac: E

It’s difficult to remember a (positive) standout performance from Sead Kolasinac this season, despite featuring 32 times. He’s earned minutes through other’s injuries and his athleticism but he simply is not good enough on the ball and his defending leaves a lot to be desired. He’s done a job for Arsenal over recent season but it’s hard to find a reason for him to stay at the club next season.

Kieran Tierney: B

We’ve had to wait a while to see Kieran Tierney settle into the Arsenal team but it’s been worth the wait. Despite battling with injury for most of the season, Tierney finished the season fantastically. His simplistic style of play, commitment and humility have already made him a fan favourite and his versatility as a defender is impressive. Hopefully this form continues into an injury free season for Tierney.

Granit Xhaka: C

In October Granit Xhaka was throwing the armband on the ground and seemingly on the verge of leaving the club. Whilst that behaviour is unacceptable, the turnaround Xhaka has made under Arteta is commendable. For someone who is quite limited, he has made himself an essential component of the Arsenal midfield and has earned back the respect of many fans so fair play to him.

Lucas Torreira: D

The Premier League is shifting away from players like Lucas Torreira and that has shown throughout his performances this season. His difficulties progressing the ball and beating the press have seen him struggle, relegating him to fleeting bench appearances in the last 20 minutes of games. Should the right offer come in this summer, it’s hard to see him not leaving the club.

Matteo Guendouzi: E

For all the spirit and potential Matteo Guendouzi showed last season, his Arsenal career looks to have come to an end. This season his attitude has been his biggest issue with a number of reported incidents and his refusal to apologise to Arteta. That coupled with his difficulties in a team structure have seen him left out of Arsenal’s last 10 games and will see him moved on in the coming weeks.

Dani Ceballos: C

As with several others, Dani Ceballos’ performances have been much improved following the lockdown. Ceballos initially struggled to cement himself in the team but since the break he has emerged as an excellent midfield partner for Xhaka with his technical ability and improved defensive contribution. It’ll be interesting to see whether the club look to resign him next season, be it permanently or on loan.

Joe Willock: C

It’s been a busy campaign for Joe Willock, making 44 appearances in all competitions but he has yet to properly establish himself. He’s mostly appeared in short cameos off the bench or in the cup competitions but still has a long way to improve, registering only 5 goals and 1 assist. With Arsenal’s midfield issues and lack of creativity, next season could be the perfect time for Willock to make an impact.

Mesut Özil: F

It’s impossible to say something about Mesut Özil that hasn’t already been said. Despite creating a decent number of chances, he only managed 1 goal and 3 assists all season and for someone of his calibre and on his wages, that’s simply not good enough. His time at Arsenal has seemingly come to an end and hopefully he and the club can find some sort of way for him to play football elsewhere next season.

Reiss Nelson: C

Like Willock, Reiss Nelson had a fairly average campaign given what was expected of him. He contributed 3 goals and 3 assists in 22 games and enjoyed a couple of impressive cameos here and there. However, there is still a lot more to come from Nelson and he really needs to take advantage whilst Arsenal lack experienced forward options.

Bukayo Saka: A*

What a season it’s been for Bukayo Saka. The 18 year old has been magnificent, picking up 4 goals and 11 assists in 38 appearances whilst playing left back, left wing back, left wing, right wing and central midfield. His performances have deservingly earned him a new contract, a new shirt number and 3rd place in Arsenal’s player of the season vote.

Nicolas Pépé: C

Given the fact he's arrived from France into a team which has had 3 managers this season and even more right backs, Nicolas Pépé has coped reasonably well. He registered 8 goals and 10 assists in 42 appearances this season and looks to have settled in better towards the end of the season. Arsenal will look to rely on him more next season in order to justify his £72 million price tag.

Gabriel Martinelli: A

Gabriel Martinelli has had an excellent season, especially considering he joined to play for the under 23s. He’s shown spirit, work rate and an eye for goal registering 10 goals and 4 assists in 26 games in all competitions. Sadly we’ve not really seen him since Arteta’s arrival due to injury so it’ll be exciting to see how he develops under Arteta next season.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: A*

We’ve come to expect Peirre-Emerick Aubameyang to be brilliant, and we’ve been lucky enough to watch him be brilliant for Arsenal. He scored an impressive 29 goals in 44 games this season. Our captain scored a brace in both the semi-final and final of the FA Cup to bring Mikel Arteta his first trophy in management and hopefully we can convince him to re-sign so we can continue to watch him shine for a few more seasons.

Alexandre Lacazette: D

For someone as prolific as Alexandre Lacazette, this has been a disappointing season. Although he struggled with an ankle injury at the start of the season, Arsenal needed more than his contribution of 10 goals in 30 Premier League games. The team is built to help the wingers thrive which limits Lacazette but a balance needs to be found to allow him to score more goals next season.

Eddie Nketiah: D

Having been out on loan for the first half of the season, Eddie Nketiah failed to make a big impact upon his return. He came in for the out of form Lacazette on a number of occasions but only registered 4 goals in 17 appearances. Nketiah puts himself about and is a threat in the box but we need to see more from him.

On the whole it’s been a season to forget and luckily we don’t have too long to wait before the start of the 2020/21 campaign. Ending the season with a trophy is always enjoyable and the prize money for the Europa League that comes with it should hopefully help to strengthen the team.

It would be wrong not to acknowledge the club announcement from the club with regards to the 55 staff that have been made redundant at Arsenal. It’s a sad and disappointing situation which has been summed up excellently by arseblog here: https://arseblog.com/2020/08/kse-run-a-business-but-we-support-a-football-club/

Adam Perry - 07/08/2020