The players Arsenal should have signed this summer
The players Arsenal definitely should have signed this summer
It remains to be seen if the 2021 summer transfer window was a
success for Arsenal.
It was undoubtedly a costly window, with six players joining for a
combined total of £149 million, leaving manager Mikel Arteta with no excuses
heading into the new season.
Despite the money spent, many fans, journalists and pundits have
questioned Arsenal's recruitment and suggested that many of the players signed
are not up to the standard needed to move the club forward.
There is an argument that Arsenal could have gotten a higher
calibre of players for the money they spent.
But Arteta was not looking to add one or two top-quality players.
He was looking for a total rebuild.
Arsenal needed investment in several areas, and Arteta's transfer
policy reflects that.
However, there is still an argument that there were better players
available.
Sam Johnstone
Many thought Sam Johnstone was leaps and bounds ahead of Aaron
Ramsdale last season and Arsenal probably could have signed him for half the
price.
At 27 years of age, he is only four years older than Ramsdale and
is still yet to hit the peak of his powers.
Johnstone has also been linked with Southampton and Tottenham, and
just like Ramsdale, he would have offered a great option either as Bernd Leno's
backup or as Arsenal's possible long-term number one.
Ramsdale recorded five clean sheets last season while Johnstone
kept six, although it's fair to acknowledge that Johnstone's West Brom side
were far more defensively sound across the pitch.
Johnstone also made 166 saves compared to Ramsdale's 147, made
more punches, more catches, and more sweeper clearances.
Crucially, Ramsdale made two errors leading to goals which is the
last thing this Arsenal defence needs, while Johnstone made none.
Ibrahima Konaté
The next name Arsenal should have gone for this summer is
22-year-old French centre-back Ibrahima Konaté.
Liverpool got him at an absolute steal at £36 million and
considering Arsenal paid Brighton £52 million for 23-year-old Ben White,
there's no reason why we couldn't have tried to outbid Jurgen Klopp's side for
the Frenchman's signature.
Konate won 13 caps for the French Under-21 side and made 66
appearances for RB Leipzig between 2017 and 2021.
Perhaps his most significant achievement was often being labelled
as better than his centre-back partner Dayot Upamecano during his time in
Germany.
Not only has he played at a higher level than White domestically,
but he also has European experience.
No disrespect intended to White, who has made a solid start to
life in North London, but Konaté could have added something special to the
Arsenal defence.
Houssem Aouar
It feels like the Houssem Aouar transfer saga will never end.
If nothing else, he should have signed this summer so that people
can finally stop linking him to the club in the papers and online.
Aouar has been linked with a move to North London for several
summers in a row now, but this felt like the one where he would finally come to
The Emirates.
He would have offered a far more versatile option in midfield than
Martin Ødegaard, who can only really operate to the best of his abilities at
ten.
In contrast, Aouar can be deployed as a ten or a box-to-box
midfielder, leaving Arteta room to incorporate Emile Smith Rowe into the
starting line-up.
