Arsenal have had a busy summer. With the arrival of Viktor Gyökeres summer shopping spree has come to an end – unless, of course, there are surprises lined up.
While Gyökeres, an out-and-out-striker is “the missing piece” in Arsenal’s plan to win the Premier League, Martín Zubimendi Ibáñez is, without a doubt, one of the finest players in his position. Zubimendi may well turn out to be a game changer. The addition of Kepa Arrizabalaga, will ease the pressure on David Raya in a long season and provide competition. Christian Nørgaard will fill the void left by Thomas Party, and bring composure to the midfield, which Jorginho brought to the Arsenal. Noni Madueke will bring some relief to the intense pressure on Bukayo Saka (also over a long season), and bring competition for a place on the right wing. I still think that the Saka, Ben White and Martin Ødegaard relationship on the right is the most dangerous combination in the Premier League – the brilliance of Mohamed Salah notwithstanding.
With all that in mind, it is probably wise for Arsenal fans to temper their excitement and expectations – and not confuse ambition with achievement.
Sure, the summer signings might turn out to be catalytic, but bear in mind two things. Only one team can win the Premier League in any season. More crucially, Arsenal signings are not guaranteed to beat Liverpool into first place; the scousers have also strengthened their (Premier League winning) squad. Manchester City seem to have their mojo back, and Chelsea have the wind beneath their wings after winning the Club World Cup. In short, Arsenal have improved their squad, but so have their main competitors and rivals.
There is a need to clear out some of the players who have flattered to deceive, or who have simply failed to live up to expectations; Gabriel Jesus and Alexander Zinchenko are probably the best examples of this waste of money. We wasted a lot of money on Raheem Sterling last year! My twisted and perverted (unpopular) opinion is that if we went to Neymar at the start of last season, and offered him a one-year contract (matching the £97,500 a week paid to Sterling) with appearance bonuses, he would have brought a lot more to the Arsenal than did Sterling over the 2024/25 season. Sterling scored a single goal for Arsenal last season.
We should keep Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli. Trossard has scored important goals for the Arsenal, and there is no sign that he will bring any less to the game. Having said that, I will not be too disappointed if, Trossard, indeed, went to Fenerbahce. Martinelli is young and still has a lot to bring to the squad. Adding Eberechi Eze to the squad will turn the pressure on Martinelli. Rodrygo would have brought competition to the right wing, but he has been linked with Liverpool. I am not completely convinced by Rodrygo, but Mikel Arteta may bring out the best in him. Eze is a better option. We shall see.
What we do know is that the squad players are settling down. This is the main lesson from the Singapore match. In general, pre-season Tours tend to be meaningless. They are a spectacle paid for by sponsors, taking the club to supporters around the world, and an opportunity for coaches and managers to have a look at new signings on the field of play, and to try out combinations or formations, and get a sense of the fitness levels of players. We can, therefore, ignore the 1-0 victory over AC Milan in Singapore, but still enjoy the spectacle. I don’t have access to television broadcasts so caught only brief snippets online. Going by the reviews of people far more qualified than I am, it seems like Arsenal were comfortably in control of the match, that Zubimendi and Max Dowman were revelations (Dowman is only 15!).
In sum, then, we should not conflate ambition with achievement. We have made good signings in Gyökeresand and Zubimendi, but we should bear in mind that Arsenal’s main rivals have also strengthened. I mentioned this previously, Arsenal will not win the premier league next season, but ….. the arrival of Gyökeres and Zubimendi may change things.
Going into the new season, my preferred (first) starting 11 would be
Gyökeres
Eze – Ødegaard – Saka
Rice – Zubimendi
Calafiori -Saliba – Gabriel – Ben White
Raya
Sure, Myles Lewis-Skelly impressed towards the end of last season, but he needs maturity. He always seems to be a whisker away from a red card. Ricardo Calafiori is powerful, quick, creative and daring. I would like to think that Italian history and influence of defensive football. This, with touches of catenaccio, should help strengthen the Arsenal’s defence.
Lewis-Skelly, Nwanyeri, whom I value (highly) and Dowman will get playing time next season. However, Arsenal need to make a statement over the first two or three matches of the new season.