With the domestic transfer window closing today, Arsenal's squad for the 2020/21 campaign is set. In a unique and challenging market, Arsenal have addressed key issues with the team, signing the likes of Thomas Partey and Gabriel Magalhães, and secured key players to new contracts. However, the club has struggled to shift players out of the club, leaving a bloated squad with a high wage bill.
Incomings:
Thomas Partey - £45 million
Arsenal’s marquee summer signing was Ghanaian central midfielder Thomas Partey. Signed in the final hours of deadline day, Partey is set to add both depth and quality to the midfield – something the squad was desperate for. The Ghanaian will add much needed dynamism to an athletically limited midfield, providing greater flexibility to Arteta as well as opening the door for the manager’s favoured 4-3-3. Partey is an excellent ball winner and outstanding at beating the opposition press so will undoubtedly establish himself in the team over the coming weeks.
Gabriel Magalhães - £23.4 million
The most impactful signing thus far has been Brazilian central defender Gabriel Magalhães. His solid performances at the back have seen him earn Arsenal’s Player of the Month award for September as he helped the team keep 2 clean sheets in the 4 games he played, only conceding 2 goals. Gabriel has been strong in the tackle, dominant in the air and composed on the ball, adding much needed solidity to Arsenal’s back line.
Pablo Marí - £7.8 million
The addition of Pablo Marí is a curious one. An option to buy was included in the Spanish centre back’s loan deal in January and for the price seems a reasonable signing. However, he has only managed 204 minutes of football since joining and given that Arsenal have 8 centre backs on the books, as well as seemingly being replaced by Gabriel already, it’s difficult to see why the club made this deal permanent.
Alex Rúnarsson - £1.8 million
With the departure of Emiliano Martinez, Arsenal were in need of a backup goalkeeper for Bernd Leno. For £1.8 million, Icelandic keeper Alex Rúnarsson will adequately meet this need. The plan will be for Leno to play every meaningful minute of this season.
Willian - Free
Something that Arsenal lacked last season was an experienced attacker. The signing of Willian on a free transfer from Chelsea addresses this. The Brazilian registered 9 goals and 7 assists in the Premier League last season and was arguably Chelsea's best player. However, there are doubts over giving a 32 year old a 3 year contract of over £100k per week, especially with the plethora of young talent currently at the club. Willian impressed on his debut with 3 assists against Fulham but has since struggled. On paper he seems a smart signing but we need to see him deliver on the pitch to justify his contract.
Cédric Soares - Free
With the injury concerns surrounding Hector Bellerín, cover at right back was needed. With that in mind, Arsenal signed Portuguese defender Cédric Soares, adding him on a free transfer following his loan deal from Southampton. Once a solid Premier League fullback, Cédric has struggled in recent years but as a deputy to Bellerín, signed on a free, he should prove to be an adequate signing.
Dani Ceballos - Loan
An important piece of business that Arsenal pulled off was bringing Dani Ceballos back on loan. Despite a difficult start to his life in North London, Ceballos emerged as a mainstay in the midfield at the end of last season, providing much needed creativity along with an improved defensive game. With funds limited, bringing Ceballos back on loan is an excellent signing.
Contact Renewals and Returning Loans:
During the window, Arsenal were able to tie down some of their most important players. Captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signed a new 3 year deal despite interest from Barcelona. Keeping the Gabonese striker is essential and he gives Arsenal a chance to win whenever he is on the pitch. Recently capped Bukayo Saka also put pen to paper agreeing his future with the club for 5 more years. The 19 year old was sensational last year and is one of the league's brightest prospects so it's great to have him sign a new deal. Gabriel Martinelli also signed a new 5 year deal during the window. Prior to his injury the young Brazilian had scored an impressive 10 goals in 26 games and it will be great to see how he develops under Mikel Arteta.
The summer window also saw the return of a few loan players. Mohammed Elneny has joined back from a year away at Beşiktaş, already making 5 appearances this season, helping the rotation with Xhaka and Ceballos. Emile Smith Rowe has also returned to the team, off the back of a successful loan spell at Huddersfield. Smith Rowe will hopefully be fit enough to play in the Europa League games and help transition the team towards a 3 in midfield. William Saliba has finally joined up with the squad but is yet to make an appearance thus far. Despite rumours of a loan move, Saliba will stay at the club until January so hopefully he can feature in the Europa League.
Outgoings:
Emiliano Martinez - £15.66 million
The sale of Emiliano Martinez is a sad one, seeing Arsenal’s longest serving player depart from the club he loves. Watching his tears at the end of the FA Cup final showed us how much Arsenal means to him but it’s only right to let the Argentine goalkeeper move for first team football. In Bernd Leno, Arsenal still have a top keeper and bringing in a good fee for Martinez was a smart decision.
Mattéo Guendouzi - Loan Fee £900k
One of the most disappointing situations at Arsenal over the last few months has been regarding Mattéo Guendouzi. Tipped to become one of the best central midfielders in Europe, Guendouzi’s time at the club looked to be up following a number of disciplinary issues, however, Arsenal have been unable to shift on the Frenchman and have instead had to settled for a loan move. Whilst it is good to have his wages covered and recoup a small loan fee, cutting ties would have been the optimal solution and the club with be disappointed with themselves on this one.
Konstantinos Mavropanos - Loan Fee £225k
A loan for Konstantinos Mavropanos makes sense for all parties. A sale may have been better but having the Greek defender out on loan in the Bundesliga will hopefully help to improve his market value and bringing in a loan fee is no bad thing.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan - Free
Part of one of the strangest swap deals of all time, Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s time at Arsenal has come to an end. Having spent last season on loan at Roma, Arsenal agreed to terminate the Armenian attacker’s contract, allowing him to re-join Roma on a free transfer. Whilst it’s disappointing not to get a fee, getting his hefty wages off the books has to be seen as a positive.
Lucas Torreira - Loan
Lucas Torreira is another disappointment from the summer transfer window. Despite interest from a number of Italian clubs, a deal could not be agreed for Torreira to leave the club. It’s a difficult situation because the Uruguayan midfielder is a very good player, he just doesn’t fit the Premier League. A move to Atletico Madrid seems like a match made in heaven and will surely help retain or even improve Torreira’s market value ahead of next summer.
Overall the club will be happy enough with their transfer window. A number of issues in the squad were addressed, depth and quality were added and Arsenal are now in a good position to challenge for the Champions League places. Add to that the contract renewals and Arsenal's squad is looking more and more exciting for the coming years. However, despite the challenging market, the club will be disappointed with the lack of sales and money brought in. A number of players who are surplus to requirements remain at the club collecting another hefty pay packet for the year at a time where money is more vital than ever.
Arsenal return to action at 5:30pm against Manchester City at the Etihad with the Mikel Arteta vs Pep Guardiola, apprentice vs master narratives ready to be thrown around. Arsenal will look to build on their strong start to the season with the boost of adding Thomas Partey and with Kevin De Bruyne out for the game. It feels like a good time to play Manchester City, if there ever was one.
Prediction: 2-2
Adam Perry - 16/10/2020