For Arsenal Football Club, the summer transfer window provides a unique and critical opportunity to change the trajectory of an underachieving club. James Olley, senior soccer writer for ESPN.com, says it’s time for the Gunners to act. They’ll need to do the best bit of business in the summer transfer market to stand any chance of mounting another title race next season. Manager Mikel Arteta has expressed the need for improvements across multiple facets of the team, from player acquisitions to coaching methodologies.
Arsenal achieved a record total of 91 goals in the league that season. They came up short in the end on their search for silverware. Liverpool managed their season more effectively, leaving Arsenal to reflect on missed opportunities and potential changes needed to bolster their squad.
Transfer Market Priorities
They’ve hit a wave of adversity this year that requires focus and action at this moment in time. Their key players—Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard—were sent off in pivotal games against Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City. Consequently, they were forced into disciplinary actions that affected their teams. Their absence made it all the more obvious that squad depth was needed.
Arteta explained that the club had decided not to go for a center forward last year. This move was made following the news that Benjamin Sesko just penned a contract extension with RB Leipzig. Just look at the reaction when they almost signed Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa in January. They chose not to take advantage of the opportunity. The squad was decimated with injuries at key junctures in the year. These challenges we can assume played a role in their failure.
“A player having several uses is a bonus and this year, towards the end, with the amount of injuries we’ve had, we’ve had to adapt players.” – Mikel Arteta
Injuries have significantly affected Arsenal’s performances. Arteta remembers vividly walking into the changing room prior to a pivotal Champions League encounter with Paris Saint-Germain. He saw a good amount of first-team players on the injury list, such as Takehiro Tomiyasu, Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhães, Thomas Partey, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and Jorginho. The loss of Ben White to a knee injury for the first three months of the season only added to these woes.
Arsenal’s Performance and Challenges
At the same time, Arsenal’s offense was absolutely fire, making history with one of the most prolific goal totals ever. That firepower didn’t translate to the victories they wished to see. To his credit, Arteta admitted their rivals had better results down on paper.
“You have to accept that there is an opponent who was better than you in terms of results and who had the whole squad available.” – Mikel Arteta
We finished with over 90 goals scored and the manager has said plenty of times you can’t just outscore everyone if you want to win the Premier League. He stated, “I would look more broadly. I think if you score over 90 goals you have a high, high probability of winning the Premier League.”
As the Gunners look ahead to 2023-2024, big questions hang over player contracts and potential departures. With Thomas Partey out of contract, it’s still unclear what the future will hold. Arteta commented on the need for clarity regarding player situations: “We’ll see at the end [of the season], it will depend on what happens with a lot of the players.”
Future Outlook
Looking forward, Arteta is still adamant that there needs to be a lot more done in the short and long term for Arsenal to thrive. He was thankful for the team’s achievements, but needed to be forward-looking and realistic about the work yet to come.
“We’re very clear about what we need to do to improve. First, what is in our hands to improve and what we can do with the squad we have, and then the improvements the team will need in terms of methodology, in terms of coaching staff, in terms of departments, in terms of players and, once again, to be better.” – Mikel Arteta
As Arsenal reflects on its season and prepares for an essential summer transfer window, the club’s objectives remain clear: strengthen the squad, address injury concerns, and ultimately return to contention for the Premier League title. It will be the nature of their commitment to continued improvement that will really be tested as they face new challenges with more complex player acquisitions and management strategies.
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