Mikel Arteta, 39
AFTV piece: Six weeks to go - what needs to happen before Prem opener?
By Jonny Bray
The day we’ve all been waiting for is fast approaching.
The Premier League commences once again on the 14 August 2021, and Arsenal will be looking to finally compete at the top of the table for the first time in over a decade.
However, it’s becoming clear with just over a month to go that Arsenal are in no fit state to do that.
For what seems like the 15th consecutive season, Arsenal will head into this campaign woefully unprepared to battle the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and perhaps even Spurs.
Whilst clubs like Leicester City fine tune their squad and Aston Villa take the mick out of us, we are seemingly stagnant in the transfer window while little has been done to solve some of the deeper underlying issues at the club.
Last season won’t be remembered for the style of play or trophies won, it will be remembered for the way the fans pushed back against Stan and Josh Kroenke.
So, with six weeks to go, what needs to happen before Arsenal’s opening match against newly promoted Brentford?
Arsenal need to move into a post-Kroenke era
Stan Kroenke has overstayed his welcome at this football club.
I’ve said it for years and I will say it again, this club is going nowhere so long as that man and his family are at the helm.
While City make cutthroat transfer decisions like whether to spend a combined £200million on Harry Kane and Jack Grealish, Stan and his son Josh are penny pinching on a centre-back from Brighton.
They have no plan, no long-term ambition and perhaps most importantly, no love for the club.
If Arsenal want to start competing again then the Kroenke family need to get out and a new owner, hopefully Spotify’s Daniel Ek, must take the reins.
Arsenal need a marquee signing.
United have Sancho, City are chasing every top player under the sun, Chelsea look like they’ll be going after one of European football’s hottest prospects in Erling Haaland and there are even whispers of Liverpool being in for Kylian Mbappe.
It’s times like these that Arsenal should be looking for a star player of our own to help boost the morale and competition in the squad.
We need to be looking at the likes of Raheem Sterling, who we’ve seen form an incredibly impressive partnership with Bukayo Saka on England duty.
And why stop there?
Within minutes of United signing Sancho, they had a new rumour linking them to Raphael Varane
If Arsenal have serious ambitions of competing next year, they’ll need to strengthen across the squad.
Most importantly Arsenal need star players who will stand up and be counted in the big moments next season.
Arsenal were too often reliant on Saka and Emile Smith Rowe last season, which was a lot of pressure to put on their shoulders at such a young age.
If you added three or four stars to a squad filled with an exciting amount of young talent, then I’m sure the Gunners would start seeing the rewards on the pitch.
Arsenal need Saka to stay fit
Saka has shown exactly why Arsenal fans rate him so highly at this summer’s European Championships.
He’s gone from being one of the surprise inclusions in the squad to being the standout outfield player for England.
In fact, the only thing stopping him from being England’s player of the tournament is Jordan Pickford looking a completely different player at international level as well as Sterling’s goal scoring exploits.
If Arsenal are going to compete next season, then they need Saka to be fit and ready to go from the start.
Otherwise, the Gunners can expect a difficult start to their campaign.
If Saka has proven anything in his Arsenal and England career so far, it’s that he doesn’t shy away from pressure.
If anything, he embraces it, and Arsenal will need him to embrace it next season if they’re to improve on their disappointing eighth place finish last year.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if all three of these things were to happen before the start of the season in August, then Arsenal would be well placed for the next decade, let alone the next campaign.
The lack of star players, or even just experienced pros, in the squad is really starting to show on the pitch whilst the toxicity at the club caused by second-rate ownership has all but ruined Arsenal’s good reputation.
However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, it’s exciting to be linked with Sterling, Ek’s interest seems to be legitimate, and he isn’t giving up without a fight plus Arsenal’s academy can still be relied upon to produce world-class talent like Saka.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
