The summer season naturally brings numerous concentrate on the switch window and who Arsenal may purchase to enhance their lot forward of subsequent season. That’s, in fact, the predominant and most essential means a membership can strengthen forward of a season- not least since you don’t get one other alternative to do it till January and we’re speaking about transactions of tens of thousands and thousands of kilos right here.
Even for a membership of Arsenal’s wealth, spending £50-60m on charges and no matter else in wages poorly has a ripple impact. Nonetheless, the summer season additionally affords golf equipment the chance to mirror on natural enchancment. How can they do issues higher? How can they maximise their present expertise? These conversations might be properly underneath means inside the workers.
Earlier than I speculate on what a few of these dialogue factors is perhaps, it’s value reflecting on the truth that we are able to’t assume that every one the excessive baselines for Arsenal in 2023-24 will stay the identical. Possibly Leandro Trossard’s ending will not be as proficient subsequent season, maybe Arsenal aren’t as prolific from setpieces, possibly (gulp) one in all Saka, Odegaard, Saliba, Rice or Gabriel will get a medium to long-term harm. However, let’s have a look at some marginals that Arsenal may need to goal forward of 2024-25 utilizing the useful resource they have already got.
Make Arsenal Brazilian once more
In 2022-23, in lieu of a very prolific striker, Arsenal had been good at spreading objectives across the assault. Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus all acquired into double figures for Premier League objectives. Leandro Trossard was added to the squad in January 2023 and Kai Havertz was added a couple of months later.
Trossard and Havertz each obliged with double figures for Premier League objectives in 2023-24 whereas Saka repeated that feat. Odegaard had eight objectives however, alongside along with his 10 assists, he can really feel completely happy about his output for the season (not least as a result of the followers voted for him as Participant of the Season). The difficulty for Arsenal is that, as an alternative of considerably including to the pool, Trossard and Havertz kind of changed Jesus and Martinelli’s output.
Accidents had been a difficulty for the Brazilians, in fact, significantly Jesus and by the top of the marketing campaign, Trossard and Havertz had taken Martinelli and Jesus’ locations within the crew. However neither Gabi made ample influence from the bench. Admittedly most of those minutes had been dispersed into sub appearances, however Gabriel Jesus performed 490 minutes after his ultimate aim of the season away at Nottingham Forest with out scoring (he had three assists).
With Jesus, I do imagine the difficulty to be health based- he was excellent within the aforementioned sport on the Metropolis Floor in January however, presciently, Arteta admitted after the sport that he had performed by means of the ache barrier. Assuming he isn’t sold- and I’ve to say I’m not positive I see many takers given his health situation- getting Jesus match and firing once more would assist Arsenal immeasurably.
They may not have a Haaland, a Son or an Ollie Watkins upfront however having a completely match Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz as centre-forward choices (allied to the truth that Jesus can play out broad too) makes Arsenal stronger in assault. Following his harm towards Sheffield United in March, Martinelli returned and performed 372 additional minutes throughout the season.
Once more, many of those had been finely chopped into substitute minutes however he didn’t make a aim contribution in that point. That might be right down to health or possibly Arsenal had been within the ‘playoff’ section of the season and their play grew to become much less adaptable to substitutes but when Arteta and co can get extra from Martinelli and Jesus- even when they’ll’t drive their well beyond Trossard and Havertz within the team- that is perhaps sufficient to make the distinction subsequent season.
Restabilise the left-side
A fortnight in the past I wrote a bit speculating on Martinelli’s diminished returns for 2023-24. One in every of my primary theories for his decreased productiveness associated to numerous upheaval on the left aspect of the crew. Rice and Havertz got here in and moved round a little bit on the subject of their respective roles.
Granit Xhaka departed and Oleksandr Zinchenko grew to become much less of a fixture at left-back, with Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu timesharing the function as Zinchenko was relegated to the bench. That is in stark distinction to the suitable aspect of the crew, the place White, Odegaard and Saka have been everlasting fixtures. It feels as if Arsenal want at the very least some semblance of a first-choice participant at left-back.
Whether or not that’s Tomiyasu, Jurrien Timber or a participant sourced externally stays to be seen and whereas Arsenal ought to rotate, it does really feel just like the crew wants a firmer ‘sport in your life’ choice there. For my part, Declan Rice has made the left six / left eight function his personal. I feel he’s at his greatest taking part in in addition to a Jorginho or Partey kind to his proper, sitting as a left six out of possession earlier than fanning out into the left midfield lane when Arsenal assault.
It took Arsenal a couple of months to work out whether or not Rice ought to be a pivot participant or a box-to-box participant and, personally, I feel it’s clear the left box-to-box function fits him the most effective. If Arsenal can play close to sufficient an entire season underneath that decision and have higher readability at left-back, it would diminish a few of the ‘rising pains’ we skilled final autumn.
Jurrien Timber LANS
Jurrien Timber performed 71 Premier League minutes for Arsenal final season. 45 on the opening day at residence to Nottingham Forest, adopted by 26 on the ultimate day at residence to Everton. The ACL harm enforced pause between these appearances gave rise to the most important ‘what if?’ of final season. Not solely did Timber handle to look very spectacular in these 71 minutes, in addition to the pre-season minutes that preceded them, there may be additionally curiosity as to how he may need been utilised.
Given Zinchenko’s relegation of types and harm points incurred by Tomiyasu, it feels as if he may need been an everyday presence at left-back. Nonetheless, I’m not positive whether or not that was the preliminary plan when he was bought. For the second consecutive season, Ben White’s muscle tissue have been bathed in lactic acid. He has appeared in 75 of Arsenal’s final 76 Premier League video games, beginning 71 of them.
Timber may share a few of that load, in addition to present higher assurance at proper centre-half within the occasion that William Saliba is unavailable. Timber might be the first-choice deputy in each place throughout the again line, he might be the first-choice left-back or else he may strong-arm his means into one other first-choice spot.
What he does give Arsenal is flexibility, resilience and high quality within the again line. Arsenal had been barely lucky that Gabriel, Saliba and White held up properly bodily in order that Timber wasn’t missed as a heat physique nevertheless it’s thrilling to think about the range and assurance he can supply to the defence subsequent season. The phrase ‘like a brand new signing’ has descended into parody these days however Timber actually, actually is LANS.
