In what has been one of the more memorable Premier League campaigns thus far, for right and for wrong reasons, the supporters of Arsenal Football Club are hoping this can be memorable for them for all the right reasons. Arsenal are aiming to qualify for European Football’s most prestigious competition, the Champions League, with a top 4 finish in the Premier League guaranteeing them a spot in Europe. The question now is, what do Arsenal need to do to get there? Do the Gunners have enough to get there?
Arsenal’s First Half of the Season
Even the biggest Arsenal supporters had to be fearing the worst after the first three matches of the season. The Gunners lost three straight matches to start the 2021-2022 season, away to Brentford, home versus reigning European champions Chelsea, and away to the defending Premier League champions Manchester City. There were calls far and wide to sack Mikel Arteta, who at that point had a bit of a rocky relationship with Arsenal fans, given the lack of success in the league during his tenure at that point.
Arteta has to be given credit for managing the club through, perhaps, the most tumultuous of times during the pandemic. Being in the middle of his first full season as Arsenal’s manager, Arteta not only had to implement his footprint on a rebuilding team, but had to do it in a season where no lineup was ever set in between matchdays. The Gunners finished 8th in 2020-2021, and many in the Arsenal fanbase needed to see growth from Arteta and his team coming into his second full season at the club.
During the 2021 summer transfer window, finances were indeed tight across all of Europe. Clubs were still feeling the burden of COVID-19 on their accounts, and not many sides were going to pry open the war chest on a massive scale. Arsenal bucked the trend, spending more than any other side in Europe on six signings, Benjamin White, Martin Ødegaard, Aaron Ramsdale, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Albert Sambi Lokonga, and Nuno Tavares. All of these signings matched the kind of profile that Arsenal were looking for, players in their twenties with loads of potential in them. Bringing in players with this profile to add to a team containing Kieran Tierney, Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel, and Gabriel Martinelli, who all also fit in this age profile, meant Arsenal were going to truly embrace this youth transfer policy.
After losing the first three matches of the season, Ramsdale made his debut in the EFL Cup away to West Bromwich Albion. Since then, Ramsdale has started every Premier League game for Arsenal, also becoming a fan favorite in the process. White, who was a lightning rod for criticism from opposing fans given his hefty £50 million transfer fee, has become one of the first names on Arteta’s team sheet at right sided center back. Ødegaard, who impressed on loan from Real Madrid in the second half of last season, has become an invaluable member of the side as their number 10, the playmaker sitting right behind the striker who pulls all of the strings for this Arsenal team. Tomiyasu has been deputized as Arsenal’s first choice right back, leading any Arsenal player this season with four headers won per match. Lokonga and Tavares have looked like promising signings as well, as they are ones that will be utilized more in the future.
After Arsenal failed to take any points in the first three matches, they sat dead last in the table. They heard all the jokes, how Arsenal could get relegated, how they spent north of £100 million on deadweight players, the whole nine yards. Arsenal would then go on an 8 match unbeaten run, including a dominating display in the North London Derby against Tottenham. The two month run inevitably came to an end against Liverpool at Anfield, getting crushed 4-0. Arsenal would go on to defeat Newcastle at the Emirates 2-0, before losing in back to back matches to Manchester United and Everton. The loss to Everton had many questioning whether or not the wheels had fallen off a bit for the Gunners, but Arsenal answered the call having now won 4 of their last 5, including a top four six pointer versus West Ham United. The Gunners currently sit 6th in the table, with three games in hand on 3rd place Chelsea, who have 44 points, and two games in hand on 4th place West Ham, who have 37 points.
The club now feels more united than ever, with the fans fully behind this team. Now, the club has to reward the fans’ patience and make two or three marquee signings to get the club fully back into contention for the top honors.
January Transfer Window
Arsenal face a dilemma this transfer window, and it comes through necessary improvements. The Gunners have seen only departures so far in the window, with Floarin Balogun departing on loan to Middlesbrough, Pablo Marí off to Udinese on loan (sources), and Ainsley Maitland-Niles also departing on loan to Roma. Where Arteta and technical director Edu Gaspar will face challenges is finding the necessary quality needed to improve the squad. Arsenal in the past have gone for short-term options, mainly loans, that haven’t panned out to much, i.e. Denís Suárez and Kim Källström. Now, Arsenal have the proper profile of player they wish to target, and will only go for that kind of player in January. The two main areas that Arsenal will look to improve in this transfer window, and in the summer window for that matter, is at central striker and in central midfield. In both, expect Arsenal to go for players that fit the age 21-23 profile that the club have been going with for the last few windows.
Striker will be the main component to this rebuild for Arsenal. Getting the right man in to lead the line for Arteta’s 4-2-3-1 formation will be key. Arteta wants a striker that not only will score goals, but a striker that will bring the entire package. A striker that is capable with the ball at his feet, can link-up play in the attack, and will press without the ball. One of the main reasons for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s absence from the team, outside of disciplinary issues that have not been disclosed by the club, seems to be related to his struggles on the pitch as well. Aubameyang has seemingly fallen out of favor with Arteta, as his struggles could be traced to him not being a concrete fit for Arteta’s grand vision of what a central striker consists of in his Arsenal team. The former club captain, before he was stripped of the armband in December, has 7 goals in 15 appearances this season. It will be interesting to see if he is brought back into the fold at some point, or if he is allowed to leave in this window or the next. Sources can confirm that Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr have offered Aubameyang an escape route from Arteta’s doghouse, offering Arsenal a loan deal for Aubameyang with an obligation to buy in the summer. It is yet to be seen if Arsenal will accept this offer, with the odds being that the club would accept if they are able to sign a replacement in January.
Speculation is rampant over who the next big signing will be for the Gunners. Reportedly, Arsenal’s list of potential striker targets is rather large and ranging of players with different characteristics. The three that stand out from this list, and the reported three main targets for the club, are Fiorentina striker Dušan Vlahović, Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak, and Lille striker Jonathan David. Vlahović is the front-runner, with Arsenal looking to push a deal over the line in January. Agreeing a deal with Fiorentina should not be a problem, as the two clubs maintain a great relationship following negotiations from the summer over the loan deal of Lucas Torreira to Florence. Vlahović and his agents hold the keys to any potential transfer, as the Serbian striker is reportedly weighing all of his options.
In central midfield, Arsenal will be looking for options to partner up with Thomas Partey as anchors of the midfield. Granit Xhaka’s repeated blunders have become a problem, yet Arteta does not have anybody readily available that can step in to take Xhaka’s spot at this moment. Xhaka also is a massive figure around London Colney, with his voice being a big boost within the Arsenal dressing room and on the training ground. Xhaka will leave when he wants to leave, Arteta won’t force Xhaka out the door given the respect the manager has for the player. When Arsenal do sign a central midfielder, one has to wonder if Xhaka will be willing to stick around in a more reduced role. Arthur Melo of Juventus has been linked with a loan switch to the Emirates in January. The player is keen to leave Turin for London, but will not be sanctioned to do so until Juventus are able to sign a replacement. Bruno Guimarães of Lyon has also been rumored to be on the list, but only for a summer transfer as Lyon will not sell in January. One that has also been doing some rounds is Youri Tielemans of Leicester City, who has 18 months left on a contract that expires in June 2023. Sources can also confirm any deal for Tielemans from Leicester to Arsenal will be pricey, as expected for a player of his caliber. He fits like a glove to the profile of what Arteta, Edu, and Arsenal are looking for in a long-term central midfield player.
The Road Ahead
While the loss of being ousted in the FA Cup hurts right now, it could actually prove to be a good thing for Arsenal’s chances of getting back into European Football for next season. Looking at the rest of the teams around Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, West Ham, and Manchester United all have European commitments, along with FA Cup commitments as well. Tottenham Hotspur, who were ousted from the European Conference League, will have only FA Cup games to go along with Premier League fixtures moving forward. The fewer games for the Gunners means more rest in between and more time on the training ground, which is a great thing for Mikel Arteta and his young side.
Thursday, Arsenal are set to take on Liverpool in the second leg of their EFL Cup Semi-final. This is a great opportunity for Arsenal to get a big result here, as the Gunners are playing with house money. Nobody expects them to win, and if they do lose so be it. If they win however, they get into a final against London rivals Chelsea, a team they do have good success against historically in finals, with a chance to win the EFL cup for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Looking ahead at the rest of Arsenal’s league fixtures. Arsenal have four matches that need rescheduling, Wolves, at Tottenham, at Chelsea, Liverpool. The North London Derby versus Tottenham will be another top four six pointer, with a result crucial for Arsenal’s top 4 chances. Looking at the schedule that is in place, Arsenal do not face a side in the top half of the table until they take on Leicester at the Emirates in March. The Gunners face Burnley, at Wolves, Brentford, at Watford before the Leicester match, and Arsenal given their current form have to feel hopeful about getting near maximum points from those matches. Where Arsenal have been very good this season, is they have gotten points in nearly every match where they have been expected to get points. Only the loss to Everton was the outlier, and that one outlier could be costly in the long run.
After Leicester, Arsenal have two away days at Villa Park versus Aston Villa and Selhurst Park versus Crystal Palace. Villa have been a new side under new manager Steven Gerrard, while Palace gave Arsenal fits in the reverse fixture this season, a 2-2 draw at the Emirates. Next, Brighton and then at St.Mary’s for Arsenal, St. Mary’s being a place where Arsenal have struggled to get through Southampton historically. Then, a big one for the Gunners, another top four six pointer versus Manchester United at the Emirates. This will be a very tightly contested contest, with it being so late in the season that it could go a long way to determining who gets into the Champions League. To close out the season, Arsenal go to West Ham, host Leeds, go to Newcastle, and end at home versus Everton.
Arsenal will not finish in the top 4 this season unless significant improvements are made in January. This is where Arsenal have the opportunity to define their season, define their rebuild even, where if they can qualify for the Champions League this season there is no telling what the future could hold. Arsenal fans can and should start to see the light at the end of the tunnel for the rebuild, and a return to Europe’s most prestigious competition could be in sight.
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