It’s taken four years, a global pandemic and some dark times on the pitch but Mikel Arteta has revitalised Arsenal.
Last season Arsenal mounted an improbable title challenge, cementing their arrival once again as a Champions League team. Their trajectory over the last three seasons has been 8th place, 5th place and 2nd place.
However as Mikel Arteta admits, they are ahead of schedule. In order to challenge Manchester City in the league, they had to forgo competing in any of the cup competitions.
Read: What Next For Manchester City After The Treble?
They can’t do that next year because they’re in the Champions League for the first time since 2017. To manage next season with all the increased expectation it’s going to bring, Arsenal will need more than the 15 players who were trusted in 2022/2023.
Happily, the rumors suggest they are going to address this in the transfer market. The Gunners look likely to sign West Ham captain Declan Rice.
He is both a direct replacement for and upgrade on Granit Xhaka, who is set to depart the club this summer. The team is losing a lot of leadership and experience with the departure of the Swiss international.
Rice brings both in spades and has a much higher ceiling than Xhaka. The Gunners also retain an interest in Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo. If they pull off both signings it would be genuinely huge. A midfield of Rice, Caideco and Odegaard can compete for years to come.
They are also linked with Chelsea’s Kai Havertz and Leicester’s Timothy Castagne, which both make sense.
Read: West Ham Win Europa Conference League Final
Arsenal could use another quality option in the front line, and Havertz could be a canny addition. The German international who hasn’t quite lived up to his initial potential can play at center forward, on the right wing and in attacking midfield.
Arsenal’s title challenge arguably ended when both William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu were injured in the same Europa League game. Lack of quality replacements at full-back and center back would ultimately be their undoing. Castagne, a Belgian international who can play both right and left full back could be a clever utility option.
Mikel Arteta will never have two world class players in every position like Pep Guardiola does. It appears he’ll close the gap with experienced, versatile players who can play multiple positions.
