The summer season naturally brings a number of concentrate on the switch window and who Arsenal would possibly purchase to enhance their lot forward of subsequent season. That’s, after all, the predominant and most necessary method 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 hundreds of 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 provides golf equipment the chance to replicate on natural enchancment. How can they do issues higher? How can they maximise their present expertise? These conversations can be nicely underneath method throughout the workers.
Earlier than I speculate on what a few of these dialogue factors may be, 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 shouldn’t be as proficient subsequent season, maybe Arsenal aren’t as prolific from setpieces, possibly (gulp) one in every of Saka, Odegaard, Saliba, Rice or Gabriel will get a medium to long-term harm. Nonetheless, let’s take a look at some marginals that Arsenal would possibly 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 really prolific striker, Arsenal have been good at spreading objectives across the assault. Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus all bought 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 together 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 problem for Arsenal is that, as a substitute of considerably including to the pool, Trossard and Havertz roughly changed Jesus and Martinelli’s output.
Accidents have been a difficulty for the Brazilians, after all, notably Jesus and by the tip of the marketing campaign, Trossard and Havertz had taken Martinelli and Jesus’ locations within the staff. However neither Gabi made adequate affect from the bench. Admittedly most of those minutes have been dispersed into sub appearances, however Gabriel Jesus performed 490 minutes after his remaining aim of the season away at Nottingham Forest with out scoring (he had three assists).
With Jesus, I do consider the difficulty to be health based- he was excellent within the aforementioned recreation on the Metropolis Floor in January however, presciently, Arteta admitted after the sport that he had performed by the ache barrier. Assuming he isn’t sold- and I’ve to say I’m not certain I see many takers given his health situation- getting Jesus match and firing once more would assist Arsenal immeasurably.
They won’t 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 huge 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 have been finely chopped into substitute minutes however he didn’t make a aim contribution in that point. That may very well be right down to health or possibly Arsenal have been within the ‘playoff’ section of the season and their play turned much less adaptable to substitutes but when Arteta and co can get extra from Martinelli and Jesus- even when they’ll’t pressure their well past Trossard and Havertz within the team- that may be sufficient to make the distinction subsequent season.
Restabilise the left-side
A fortnight in the past I wrote a chunk speculating on Martinelli’s diminished returns for 2023-24. Considered one of my fundamental theories for his decreased productiveness associated to a number of upheaval on the left aspect of the staff. Rice and Havertz got here in and moved round a bit on the subject of their respective roles.
Granit Xhaka departed and Oleksandr Zinchenko turned much less of a fixture at left-back, with Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu timesharing the position as Zinchenko was relegated to the bench. That is in stark distinction to the best aspect of the staff, 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 staff wants a firmer ‘recreation to your life’ choice there. For my part, Declan Rice has made the left six / left eight position his personal. I believe he’s at his greatest taking part in moreover 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 believe it’s clear the left box-to-box position fits him one of the best. If Arsenal can play close to sufficient an entire season underneath that decision and have higher readability at left-back, it would diminish among 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 dwelling to Nottingham Forest, adopted by 26 on the ultimate day at dwelling 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’s additionally curiosity as to how he might need been utilised.
Given Zinchenko’s relegation of kinds and harm points incurred by Tomiyasu, it feels as if he might need been an everyday presence at left-back. Nonetheless, I’m not certain whether or not that was the preliminary plan when he was bought. For the second consecutive season, Ben White’s muscle tissues 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 might 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 may very well be the first-choice deputy in each place throughout the again line, he may very well be the first-choice left-back or else he would possibly strong-arm his method into one other first-choice spot.
What he does give Arsenal is flexibility, resilience and high quality within the again line. Arsenal have been barely lucky that Gabriel, Saliba and White held up nicely bodily in order that Timber wasn’t missed as a heat physique but it surely’s thrilling to think about the range and assurance he can provide to the defence subsequent season. The phrase ‘like a brand new signing’ has descended into parody these days however Timber actually, actually is LANS.
