The annual summer transfer window bolero is nearing its crescendo, and it is all looking good for Arsenal. We kept all our key players and strengthened defence and midfield significantly. Arsenal allowed Emile to leave and a few others have left on loan. There is every chance that a couple of others will be allowed to leave before the window shuts, and it looks like we may get another player in attack, especially if indeed Eddie is allowed to leave.
Talking about attack, I think the BIG question is whether to buy and then play a beast of a CF OR to stick with the philosophy of spreading the responsibility of scoring our goals throughout the team. Arsenal score a lot of goals: 84 in 22-23 and 85 in 23-24, about 2.3 goals per game. Citeh have scored even more but we are meaner in defence, and this is likely to continue this season.
Last season, we had 7 players who scored more than 5 goals, and White (4), Gab (3) and Saliba (2) scored 9 goals between them. During the 22-23 season only five managed to score more than 5 goals and our defenders hardly contributed. I like the philosophy of spreading the goals between all the players as it makes us less predictable and protects us against the main striker’s inevitable off-day significantly. But every time we lose a game we will hear again and again that Arsenal are lacking a top CF blah blah blah. So if only for that reason, I welcome the arrival of one.
In the meantime, I am hopeful that we will have a much stronger attack on the left side this season. Martinelli and Rice managed just 13 goals between them, and especially the young Brazilian saw his tally reduced significantly: from 15 to 6 over last two seasons. Rice has as many goals this season as Xhaka managed to score in the one before that (7).
I think the main reasons for this is that Xhaka was very effective playing next to Odegaard, and Rice is playing a deeper role than Granit. What I am really excited about is that Mikel and Edu have now invested heavily in strengthening the left side, and the arrival of Merino and better quality left backs is likely to mean that Rice will be pushed up and play the ‘Xhaka-role’ going forward. As a result, I expect both Martinelli and Odegaard to benefit a lot. Both managed 30 goals between them when Xhaka was still a Gunner, whereas last season they managed just 14 goals between them. Both Martin and Gabriel worked their socks off but appeared often isolated and having to do too much non-attacking work, last season. Often when it came to finishing a chance they looked tired and fluffed their efforts.
What saved us was super-sub/irregular starter, Trossard, who scored a quite impressive 12 goals in the PL last season. Furthermore, in the middle we had a decent improvement: in 22-23 Jesus and Eddie scored 15 goals; and in 23-24 Jesus, Havertz and Eddie managed 22 goals between them.
Bukayo and Odegaard, who operate mainly on the right, managed 24 goals between them last season, down from 29 in 22-23, so there is work to be done here as well, although Saka managed to improve his tally by 2, from 14 to 16.
In conclusion, it all does not seem as simple as just buying a beast of a CF and we will score even more goals than our 2.3 per game in the previous seasons. Both Kai and Jesus work hard and offer a lot more than the typical CF does. A top CF will score more than them, no doubt, but we may create less chances as a result of introducing such a player. It all remains to be seen whether a top CF would make us score more goals over a whole season.
Instead, I am much more hopeful of Mikel now getting the balance right on the left:
- Calafiori and Timber improve our quality in left back
- Merino can play deep (and higher up) in midfield
- Rice can move up and partner Odegaard
I have a beautiful feeling that this rather than a beast of CF will finally turn us into champions again.
Come on You Rip Roaring Gunners!
By TotalArsenal.
Bergkampesque 
At home to Bolton in the Carabao Cup. Good draw.
Lot’s to consider there, Total. I’ll ruminate a while.
Everyone online is acting like its a disaster if we don’t sign a forward for depth. I’m not as worried because I think Reiss with minutes is a very good option. Unfortunately, Arteta doesn’t give him enough playing time to get any rhythm in his game. Always cold.
I’m also optimistic about Nwaneri who I’m sure can play forward or AM.
The concern is that even if we buy someone else, Arteta will continuously play Saka (and Ødegaard) deep into every match.
Perfect situation is we add a player and Arteta simply uses them all more.
Rambo off to the Saints.
J, Reiss has a lot of support on this blog. I remain hopeful too, but he will need to show how good he is soon to make it into the first tesm more regularly.
Ramsdale out comes a year too soon for both club and player, I think. But Aaron will want to play every week again, so I understand. He will be fired up when playing us, and that is something we could do without this season.
https://www.arsenal.com/video?entryid=0_x93b1d3f
So nice to hear Jack talk.
Jnyc, fully agreed about Nelson.
He deserves the chance, and he hasn’t been the week link when offered to play.
To be honest, I’m really worried that we screw up this so promising summer transfer window with further – unnecessary – signings.
If Ramsdale indeed leaves it would make sense to replace him, but if we seriously paying 20M to a 800k keeper (already 23y and yet ‘managed’ to play 2000 minutes [~32%] less than Karl Hein who – to put it delicately – wasn’t overused by Arteta), then somebody should go to jail.
To be fair to Garcia, after being the worst player of the pitch in the first round by conceding from the only shot on goal and having an average performance in his next game – similarly lost by 1:0 but with 3 shots on goal this time – he was excellent yesterday against Atletico Madrid (0:0) eliminating 7 shots (although only one save was remarkable, but it’s hardly his fault that the majority of the shots were either tame or off target). He wasn’t nominated MotM, but he was the third best player on the pitch according to WhoScored.
TA, it’s an interesting concept what is going to happen in midfield.
Rice could indeed go up or Havertz could go down. (Sorry, I can’t help preferring the 4-1-4-1 formation with 2 AMs and Jesus at the tip of the spear.) But realistically if we play with 3 central midfielders would they be ‘distributed’ horizontally like Partey/Merino in the middle, Martin on the right and Rice on the left? Or rather vertically: Partey/Rice/Jorginho deep as DM, Merino in the center as B2B or classic CM and Odegaard up front as AM?
By the way, have you seen the gossip about Arsenal going for Darwin Nunez? Please tell me that is only the rumor mill trying to generate clicks! Probably the Uruguayian is not as wasteful as he was in his last 2 seasons in the PL, and possibly not as consistently good as he played in the Copa America, but such transfer would be so unbecoming to Arsenal.
I think you are all a little bit romantic when it comes to Reiss. Probably not top level from what I have seen until now. Iwobi was better at this age, and he also did not make it.
Re keeper, we all thought getting Raya was not necessary, but Arteta proved us wrong. I happily trust him on getting it right again.
PB,
It will be so interesting to see what will happen. I reckon we line up as follows:
Raya
White, Sal, Big Gab, Timber
Merino (supported by Timber when we move forward)
Odegaard/Rice
Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
Timber/Calafiori are the new magic in this team. They can defend and do a ‘White on the Right’. Rice and drop back to help defend but he knows he can join the attack more consistently without worrying about the defensive side of the things, as Merino and Timber/Calafiori will have his back. I reckon this switch will add between 5-15 additional goals this season, whilst making us stronger defensively.
Partey will play a big role too and is competition for Merino, but we know we just cannot bank on him fitness-wise over a whole season.
Jorginho will be that extra clever player against the big teams who try to play us in our half constantly.
I guess the really good thing about some of our most loved players moving on is that we can enjoy them playing for other teams. Like others here, I look forward to seeing the Cottage-Gunners plying their trades in West-London, and it will also be good to see Aaron keeping clean sheets for the Saints. I bet you he will give his all to deny the likes of Citeh and Pool.
There may one or two more Gunners who will join other PL clubs, and it will be fun to watch and hopefully do well.
New Post 🙂