Meantime, just how ready are
Arsenal for this season? With imminent match-ups against Chelsea and Manchester
City, I'd have hoped that they be quite a bit further down the line with
reshaping the squad. Out of Europe, there are good reasons for scaling down,
but additionally there are doubts all over the pitch, as this analysis shows:
Goalkeeper
It is clear that Arteta is not
100% happy with Leno (who has also apparently expressed a desire for a change).
A back-up is badly required - indeed, maybe more than a back-up? - as Runarsson has
been a disaster, and Okonkwo looks nowhere near ready. We are a muscle strain away from disaster here.
There are also apparently
ructions within the club regarding the goalkeeper training situation; all very
uncomfortable. I'd also suggest that we're barking up the wrong - and very
over-priced - tree with Aaron Ramsdale, and a Mat Ryan-type loan may be the way
to go in the short term.
Defence
Another pig's ear. At right
back, Bellerin wants to leave, Chambers did a decent job last season but is a
centre back by trade, and Cedric isn't trusted by the manager to be the
answer.
An alternative, perhaps, may be
Maitland-Niles; but more on him later. Arsenal may have to muddle through here;
but I'd be letting Bellerin go now - he's never recovered from his injury woes,
needs and deserves a change of scenery, and Arsenal could do with the funds.
At centre-half, I'm more than
happy with the signing of Ben White. I hadn't really seen much of him before
his appearance in England's pre-Euros friendlies; but I was mighty impressed
with what I saw. 9/10 for Arsenal here (I'm knocking off a point because of the
price tag).
Alongside him, Gabriel looks to
be the long-term partner, but he a) can sometimes look a little clumsy and b)
he is currently injured. So we will almost certainly start with Mari alongside
White; and frankly the more I see of the Brazilian, the less impressed I
am.
I'm not sure about the future
for Rob Holding; I like the chap, and he rarely lets the side down, but I'm
pretty sure that his ceiling is lower than the one Arsenal are trying to reach.
The situation with Saliba has
been well-documented elsewhere. Who knows if we'll ever see him in an Arsenal
shirt now that White is on the books?... a bizarre, and expensive, episode.
At left back, new signing
Tavares as back-up for Tierney means that at least here we can be no doubt that
Arsenal are well-served. However, the situation with Kolasinac is nothing short
of laughable; his wages are so high that nobody can afford to take him off our
hands - and he has apparently demanded £5m to leave, in the style of the Ozil
and Mustafi departures. Bonkers!
Midfield
What a mess! Xhaka looked like he was gone, but here he is again; Arsenal having failed to reach agreement with Roma over his transfer.
Now let's be clear here; Xhaka is not a bad player
- in fact he's pretty good - but his faults are what to me are holding Arsenal
back. He does not have the propensity to move the ball as quickly as we'd like,
and he's got a massive mistake in him at any time! Meantime, Arteta recently
described him as 'a key player'; despite having previously been willing to let
him go...
Thomas Partey is of course a
shoe-in in this side. However, thanks to an unnecessarily robust challenge by
Ruben Loftus-Cheek a fortnight ago, he is set to miss the first month of the
season (Dele Alli's challenge on Pepe a week later, by the way, was in a
different league; malicious, and probably deserving of a red card!).
New signing Sambi Lokonga has made a promising start and therefore looks like he'll get the nod to start the season alongside Xhaka. And
there is always Mohammed Elneny... The latter is, as we know, a limited player,
and Lokonga needs a bit more time. So we're light in here, and need some clarity.
Forwards
Here is where the bulk of
Arsenal's talents lie. It's going to be a headache for Arteta to shoehorn Saka,
Smith Rowe, Pepe (about whom I am overly excited this season) and Martinelli into the side - and we shouldn't forget that
Arsenal are also looking a the likes of Maddison, Odegaard and Aouar - but
centre-forward is a mess.
Nobody can be sure what's going
on with Aubameyang. Lacazette is into the final year of his contract and his
sale could raise some funds. Nketiah is probably not the answer and is currently
injured in any case; and Balogun is promising but raw - I'd personally send
him to The Championship on loan - especially if we're in for Tammy Abraham. Again, clarity is required.
Fringe Players and possible
departures
Too many; is the first thing
I'd say. There's the afore-mentioned Kolasinac; and also Lucas Torreira, who
looks like going on another loan.
I'm not sure what's going on
with (England international) Ainsley Maitland-Niles, but I'd be having a word
with him about the semi-vacant right back position or, if Arteta simply won't
play him in midfield, a transfer for around £15m.
Joe Willock, following his end
of season exploits for Newcastle, looks like heading up there permanently for a mouth-watering £25m. I
can see the logic - he is at the peak of his value right now, and his
attributes don't look compatible with the way that Arteta wants to play.
He can't be a 10-minute desperation substitute for Arsenal for all his career!
Reiss Nelson is another who has
apparently fallen by the wayside. With all the talent in front of him, I'd be
looking to sell for around £8-10m.
And then there's Willian.
Another player whose wages are going to be a massive stumbling block. Goodness
knows what's going to happen there, but I can hardly see him getting a kick for
Arsenal this season.
So, on the whole, a lot still needs to be done. I'm sure that the next couple of weeks of the Transfer Window are going to be a wild ride (for many clubs), but there are so many 'what ifs' that it's difficult to see what this squad may look like - apart from bloated! - on September 1st.
And so to this evening, where I suspect that in the absence of the late returning Saka Arsenal will line up:
Leno
Chambers - White - Mari - Tierney
Xhaka - Lokonga
Pepe - Smith Rowe - Aubameyang
Lacazette
The rights and wrongs of Auba on the wing have been well-documented elsewhere. For me, he has to play up top, and I'm sure he'll be back there soon. Perhaps, if Saka is deemed fit enough to start, he will start there; to be replaced by Laca late on.
However, comparing this starting XI to the one that finished last season, there is very little difference. And there's the problem; Arsenal finished the season well (Europa League semi-final disaster notwithstanding), but need more to improve on 8th. The gap will not be bridged by this set of players, and that indicates how much more needs to be done, and in such little time.
Theoretically, this team should have more than enough for Brentford - although admittedly pre-season form has not been terribly encouraging. After that, the next two tasks are amongst the most difficult that Arsenal will have to face all season. And that's a concern.
I just want to quickly look back at the most pressing issue to come out of the Euros; that of the racist abuse suffered by Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho following their penalty misses.
I was delighted to see the response from all walks of life to the abuse that these guys went through, and believe that this support should mean that it won't affect their future form or careers. To hear the applause for Saka from T*tte*h*m fans last weekend was heartwarming. There is no place for racism of any form - anywhere - and I condemn the actions of those individuals who behaved so reprehensibly towards these young men. I support the continued taking of the knee, and I would be delighted to see criminal action taken against Social Media abusers going forward. Kick It Out!
I'll be back on Monday with a review of the Brentford game. Until then... COYG!
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