Do Arsenal need more investment to break the Premier League top four again?


Mikel Arteta

Do Arsenal need more investment to break the Premier League top four again?


By Jonny Bray

This week’s win against West Ham United saw Mikel Arteta’s side move into the top four for the first time this season, after an impressive turnaround in the team’s fortunes.

Despite a horrendous start to the 2021-22 campaign, The Gunners have shown they have a lot to offer.

In attack, they lack a first-choice striker, but there is creativity in abundance in midfield and out in the wide areas.

Meanwhile, the defence has transformed from one of the worst in the country to one of the best in the league.

But will it be enough?

Can Arsenal find themselves in the top four this season, or do they still need investment?

 

Defence

Defence is the one area the Gunners look to be in great shape.

After years of it being a serious weak spot in the team, it’s now one of our strongest assets in Arteta’s rebuild.

The current holder of goalkeeper shirt is outstanding, and Aaron Ramsdale only looks like he’s going to get even better in the years to come.

The right-back and left-back berths are also strengths in the squad, with Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu making the positions their own over the last six months.

Centre-back is the only position where there are some question marks.

Ben White still needs to prove he’s ready to be a top-four standard defender, even if his performances with the ball have been outstanding.

You could argue that there are better defenders out there, but it appears that these five players have struck a really nice balance, and other than strengthening the depth, there’s very little need to change it.

Ben White

 

Midfield

Midfield is a bit more of a worry for Arteta and the recruitment team.

Since taking the helm at the Emirates, the Spaniard has brought through some outstanding young midfielders.

However, there is still a lack of a first-choice defensive midfielder in the team.

Granit Xhaka, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny all aren’t good enough, while Thomas Partey doesn’t have the discipline to play as a CDM without support alongside him.

If Arsenal are serious about trying to guarantee Champions League football for years to come, they should break the bank for England star Declan Rice.

Doing so would follow the new direction Arsenal are heading in in the transfer market, buying the best of the young English talent.

Admittedly they will face competition from Chelsea, but signing a player of Rice’s quality is the only way to seriously improve the team overnight.

 

Attack

The biggest question marks at the club at the moment surround our attack.

After years of having too many top-quality strikers, we now don’t have enough.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is on his way out after being stripped of the captaincy, and after five years at the club Alexandre Lacazette isn’t the elite forward Arsenal need if they’re going to challenge for the top four consistently.

The smart move would be to purchase Dominic Calvert-Lewin from Everton.

The striker has put in outstanding performances for the Toffees for over two years now and would bring something different to the forward line.

 

Conclusion

Even without further investment, Arsenal will be able to maintain a challenge for a spot in the top four this season.

There isn’t an outstanding candidate outside of the top three, and of the remaining teams, the North Londoners have shown the most consistency so far this year.

The hope is that if we do make the top four, we’ll see an even more significant investment over next summer to get back into the Champions League on a regular basis.

Popular posts from this blog

What have we learned from Arsenal's pre-season so far?

Image
  Arsenal – what have we learned from pre-season? By Jack Lacey-Hatton It only feels five minutes since Euro 2020, but incredibly we are just one week away from the new Premier League season starting. Arsenal will travel to newly promoted Brentford for a London derby in front of a noisy crowd next Friday night, not the easiest of starts to the new campaign. But what sort of shape are Mikel Arteta’s side in, going into what could be a defining season for the manager? We took a close look at what we have learnt from the pre-season period and what kind of shape the squad are in.   The new signings are ready to go It has been a mixed transfer window so far. Some fans would have expected more both leaving and arriving at the Emirates stadium over the summer. But positives can be taken - Ben White has arrived from Brighton for £50million, and highly-rated full back Nuno Tavares has come in from Benfica. Albert Sambi Lokonga completes the 2021 summer singings so far. Cruc...
Read more

Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves

Image
Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves By Jonny Bray It is hard to believe that Ruben Neves is still only 25-years-old.   It feels as if the Portuguese international has been tipped for big things for nearly a decade now.  With the midfielder out of contract in 2023, it appears his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers could be coming to an end.  Understandably, with a player like Neves on offer for a reduced price, clubs around Europe are queueing up to secure the international's signature.  So, after all this time, should Arsenal move for Ruben Neves now, or is it time for the Gunners to turn their attention to a new target?  What would he bring?  Arsenal do not have enough defensive midfielders.  Martin Ødegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka give Mikel Arteta plenty of midfield options going forward, but the Gunners have been found lacking when out of possession this season. Thomas Partey has been in and out of the side due to injuries, a fact that has not hel...
Read more

Where will Arsenal finish this season?

Image
Where will Arsenal finish this season? By Alec McQuarrie Arsenal have made steady improvement over the last few seasons under Mikel Arteta. After finishing 8th in his debut season, the Spaniard oversaw a five-point improvement in his first full campaign.  And last year an eight-point leap followed, which was unfortunately not enough to pip Tottenham to fourth place.  Cruelly, the 69 points accumulated would have been enough to seal Champions League qualification in the previous two seasons.  Looking at the trajectory over the Arteta era, it would be fair to assume a continued improvement this coming season.  After all, with five signings already secured this summer and Alexandre Lacazette the sole first-team player to depart, surely fourth place should be a bare minimum expectation.  Oleksandr Zinchenko offers much-needed cover at left-back and competition for central midfield.  Gabriel Jesus is a proven goalscorer and brings a tireless work-ethic to fulfil...
Read more