Who was Arsenal’s best signing last summer?
Who was Arsenal’s best signing last summer?
Arsenal’s summer window is shaping up to be an impressive one with arrivals Marquinhos and Fabio Viera through the door and there are some more exciting additions on the horizon.
The Gunners recruitment has been maligned for some time now but the summer window of the 2021/22 season is already looking like one of the club’s finest in recent history.
One year on, let’s take a look at how they worked out.
6. Nuno Tavares
The 22-year-old left-back joined from Benfica and made a decent start to life in London, providing cover for the often-injured Kieran Tierney.
But a disappointing performance in the 4-0 away defeat to Liverpool in November brutally exposed the youngsters deficiencies and led to him making just two appearances off the bench in 12 league games from December to April.
In total he made 22 appearances last term, and even scored in the 3-1 win against rivals Manchester United.
Sadly for Tavares, his displays last year don’t appear to have been enough to secure a place in the Arsenal squad moving forward with speculation of a departure this month.
5. Sambi Lokonga
A theme with all of the Gunners signings last year was youth and Lokonga, who joined from Belgian side Anderlecht, was no different.
Very much one for the future, the 22-year-old was thrust into a starting berth at the beginning of the season with Granit Xhaka’s future unsure at the club.
He similarly started well and showed good flashes in the Arsenal midfield which even earned him a call up to the Belgium national team in September.
But with just six appearances in the league after the turn of the year, he reverted back to the role many expected upon his arrival.
No goal involvements from his 19 league games was a disappointment but it's too early to tell how Lokonga’s Arsenal career will pan out.
4. Takehiro Tomiyasu
Another promising youngster signed last summer, Tomiyasu’s arrival from Bologna was met with some ridicule from opposing fans.
The relatively unknown Japanese international was first thought to be a centre half but excelled in the right-back spot up until his serious injury in February.
If not for that calf strain the 23-year-old might have featured higher on this list as he popped in with 21 league appearances and one goal.
The Gunners record with him in the side was 13 wins and six losses with the right-back contributing to seven clean sheets in those games.
3. Benjamin White
Speaking of clean sheets, Arsenal’s defensive anchor and marquee signing of last summer joined from Brighton for a £50 million fee and had a solid first campaign.
White’s passing ability helped Arteta’s side play the aggressive possession based style he prefers and White’s poise and clever reading of the game gave Arsenal a resolute base.
At times, we should add, as there were certainly a few rash moments throughout the season but all in all the 24-year-old adjusted well to life at a top-six club.
White’s durability was a key for the Gunners, playing every minute of every league game from the 1-0 win at home to Norwich in early September, to the 3-1 victory against Manchester United at the end of April.
Arsenal kept an impressive 13 clean sheets in the 32 appearances he made in the league last term.
2. Aaron Ramsdale
Still on the topic of clean sheets, Aaron Ramsdale kept 12 of them in 34 appearances in his debut campaign for the Gunners.
That put him in the top five for stoppers in the Premier League while his save percentage of 72.1% ranked him joint seventh.
Few would have expected the season to go so well for the twice relegated 24-year-old who signed from Sheffield United.
But his energetic style, vocal presence and flamboyant stops have not only seen him wrestle a starting spot in the Arsenal line-up away from Bernd Leno but even earn him a few England call ups as well.
If he continues on this trajectory, and irons out a few mistakes that crept in at the tail end of last season, a starting spot at the Qatar World Cup in November could be on the cards.
1. Martin Odegaard
Despite signing on-loan during the 2019/20 season, Martin Odegaard completed a permanent move to the Emirates last summer.
The Norwegian enjoyed a fantastic campaign scoring seven goals in 36 appearances and providing another four assists for his teammates.
His partnership with Player of the Year Bukayo Saka propelled the Gunners up the league standings and put them in a commanding position for the Champions League spots going into the run-in.
The 24-year-old showed flashes of the quality that made Europe’s elite clammer for his signature as a 15-year-old.
And goals like the freekick he scored against Burnley, the volley away to Everton, and his mazy run and finish at home against the same opponents, will live long in the memory.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
