Arsenal were in a worrying low, almost an all-time low, some would say, back in December 2019. Unai Emery, the man chosen to continue the work and legacy of the great Arsene Wenger, who had guided the Gunners’ ship for a full 18 years, couldn’t quite live up to the expectations and struggled to get a firm grip on the club’s identity, direction or results.
Arsenal’s directors then turned to the Club’s former captain, a man who spent five years in North London and ended his playing career at the Emirates, Mikel Arteta. It was to be the Spaniard’s first adventure as a head coach, having only worked as an assistant to Pep Guardiola in Manchester City.
Fast forward six years, the fate of Arsenal seems to be completely turned around. Mikel Arteta enjoys full trust of the club’s leaders and has come through with a revolution that has re-established Arsenal as one of England’s leading clubs. Three consecutive second-place Premier League finishes and a Champions League semifinal are a lot to be proud of, but as the success grew, appetites followed.
So, this summer, they made their intent to progress and take that final step towards the all-important silverware. It’s been a very busy summer in the club offices, with as much as six signings – five confirmed, and one all but done. Let’t quickly run through them and see how the Gunners could line up en route to a Premier League title charge, one they’ve been waiting for more than two decades now.
Kepa Arrizabalaga – GK, joined from Chelsea for €5.8M
The first signing went a bit under the radar, as it’s highly unlikely that it will strengthen the starting XI, but rather increase the squad depth, which is always a good idea given the amount of games the English clubs play across the season.
Another Spanish goalkeeper joined Arsenal’s setup, after a season-long loan spell at Bournemouth where he did reasonably well, reminiscing of his best days with Athletic Bilbao and Chelsea, averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.14 helping Bournemouth to a 9th place Premier League finish.
Christian Nørgaard – DM, joined from Brentford for €11.6M
Similar to Kepa‘s case, another player that comes to fight for his spot in the team, instead of being the big signing of the summer.
The Danish defensive midfielder comes to provide physical presence in midfield, alongside composure on the ball and clever use of movement in defense. Nørgaard was a key part of Thomas Frank’s well-oiled Brentford machine that’s being dismantled this summer. Considering the relatively low transfer fee, Nørgaard might prove to be much more than just a fill-in for Thomas Partey’s departure.
Cristhian Mosquera – CB, joined from Valencia for €15M
While the previous two signings are more of a short-term investment made with an instant goal in mind, this one is more of a look into the future.
Mosquera is a talented, powerful Spanish u21 international with a proven track rercord in LaLiga. While he can certainly contribute and earn his spot in the Gunners’ side, it’s too early to say whether he can make an instant impact or will it take him a bit of time to adapt to the new surroundings. All things considered, his price tag might look like a real bargain in the years to come.
Noni Madueke – RW, joined from Chelsea for €55.4M
Next up is a signing that caused quite a bit of a stir, and even a bit of a hostile welcome for the player itself. Yet another signing from Chelsea, that’s at least how a part of Arsenal’s fan-base sees it, and they weren’t happy with it.
Considering deals done beforehand with the likes of Sterling, Jorginho or Willian, it’s hard to blame them. Madueke joins to strengthen the team’s front-line and add to explosivenes, speed and flair on the wing. He enjoyed a lot of playing time with Chelsea in the Premier League last season and managed to rack up double digit goal involvements, so he will definitely have a thing or two to say in Arsenal’s locker room, too.
Martín Zubimendi – CM, joined from Real Sociedad for €70M
This is now where the “breaking the bank” part of the story comes in. Arteta obviously has a thing for Real Sociedad midfielders, probably not such a surprise given that he himself was a Txuri-Urdin in a certain period of his career.
Zubimendi was hot stuff on the last year’s market as well, when Liverpool and Arsenal were involved in a bit of a scuffle for the Spaniard’s signature. His prime age of 26, proven expierence at the top level, partnership with Mikel Merino and the hefty price tag all suggest – Zubimendi will be a huge part of Arsenal’s upcoming success. If, of course, there’ll be one…
Viktor Gyökeres – CF, set to join from Sporting CP for €73M
And last, but definitely not least, the deal that is yet to be sealed, according to all relevant sources and reports. Arsenal have got the signing of the player that took Europe by storm during the last two season with his incredible goalscoring record.
Gyökeres, the Swedish goal machine, lit up Liga Portugal scoring a staggering 68 goals in 66 league games. One would, though, expect a tougher battle for his signature, but there didn’t seem to be one at all. Liverpool were wandering around the shop, but never really came in to ask for the price, but Arsenal came in and took care of the deal swiftly.
On paper, it looks like a perfect match – a prolific striker and finisher joins a team that creates loads of chances, but fails to convert them.
Conclusion
Second place is obviously not enough to satisfy the appetites of everyone in and around the famous North London club. Depth, talent and quality will be required to keep up with the other great teams in the competition – the reigning champions Liverpool, have spent quite a lot of money on improving their squad too, as did Manchester City in a rebuild designed to forget last season’s troubles. There is, of course, Chelsea as well… the newly-crowned Champions of the World will certainly have something to prove back home fueled by their newfound confidence.