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Arsenal Summer Transfer Window Verdict 2023 | THT Opinions

September 5, 2023 12:18 am
Reading Time: 11 mins read
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Did Mikel Arteta and Edu have a good transfer window with Arsenal? The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at Arsenal this past summer.

There are two aspects of any big club’s transfer window regarding incomings: floor raisers and level raisers. Did Arsenal get it right on both fronts? Were there enough sales to balance their heavy spending, and how does the squad value look in the long term? Let us dive into this.

Arsenal came into the summer window on the back of a disappointing end to their title challenge, where they fell short right at the end. Injuries to Takehiro Tomiyasu and especially William Saliba played a crucial role, which may have cost them the championship.

Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar had to respond with a solid transfer window and bring about players that felt essential to their system. Back in January, in light of Gabriel Jesus’s injury, the manager sought two players with Premier League experience, and both proved their worth by raising the floor at the club.

Leandro Trossard provided the missing attacking depth before his arrival, as Eddie Nketiah took on the mantle rather quickly when Jesus remained absent. The Belgian international took their game to another level, leaving the academy graduate well behind in the pecking order.

Likewise, since the season began, Nketiah has been able to return the favour and fight the battle with Trossard and Jesus. When the latter returns to full fitness, Arteta would prefer to keep him as his starting centre-forward, with the other two the solid deputy options behind him depending on the character of the game.

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They then acquired Jorginho, who added some depth in the position and even started games ahead of Thomas Partey in the latter stages of last season. This time around, Arsenal spent a mammoth £105 million to bring their top summer target, Declan Rice, which raises the team’s level to another degree at least.

Similarly, Jurrien Timber arrived and instantly looked at home from his pre-season and Community Shield performances. It is unfortunate for Arteta to lose the versatile, level-raising defender to a painful knee injury that will see the Dutchman miss most of the current season.

Then there is Kai Havertz, who Arteta surprised by signing from Chelsea, where his performances in recent years warranted more criticism. Yet, the manager has placed immense trust in the German’s ability and has often defended him in the media over the last few weeks.

If that was not enough, Arteta truly surprised everyone by bringing in David Raya. The Spaniard was a target of the Arsenal boss well before Aaron Ramsdale even fell on his radar. Now, despite intense scrutiny in the media suggesting that having two keepers would disrupt proceedings, the Gunners boss has what he wanted in that position between the sticks.

Arteta and Edu have raised this team’s levels through the transfer market. Internally, they have raised the floor by giving other players the right environment to grow who were already a part of this team. The regularity of Tomiyasu, Nketiah and Fabio Vieira playing many minutes this season indicates the latter.

That said, we shall now look at how the summer transfer window transpired and whether it can be cast as a success, failure or average, keeping in mind everything else, including sales and draw a verdict on their overall business.

Ins & Outs

Incomings

The signing of Declan Rice not only raised the team’s levels but also the fanbase’s mood. The intense battle in the background from last season entered the summer window, and truthfully, Arsenal smashed the champions in the race for Rice.

The Gunners had also paid a potential £65 million fee to London rivals Chelsea for Havertz. The German’s versatility and ability to grow on a different side may have prompted Edu to conduct this purchase. Similarly, Arsenal made a good deal with Ajax for versatile defender Timber. But he will miss most of the season with an ACL injury.

Finally, David Raya arrived as their fourth and most surprising signing, as fans got taken aback by Arteta’s ruthlessness in strengthening the goalkeeping position. They should have targetted another defender before the deadline, as Timber’s absence does deplete their options at the back, especially after some surprise outgoings.

Outgoings

Once the incoming business concluded with relative ease, it was time for Edu to focus on outgoings. With the four new players and some loan returns, Arsenal boasted a bloated squad for Arteta’s liking, and it desperately needed trimming.

While fans may have overvalued some players in that squad, Arsenal did not break the market with unreasonable demands for the stars and sold quite a lot. The biggest surprise, however, was Kieran Tierney’s departure, especially after Jurrian Timber picked up his injury, which means an injury-prone Oleksandr Zinchenko is their only natural option at left-back unless Tomiyasu gets counted.

As for a solid sale, Folarin Balogun fetched around £34 million with his move to Monaco. Beyond that, the next potentially biggest one was Nuno Tavares, who joined Nottingham Forest on loan with a buy option, which could become mandatory with certain conditions.

Rob Holding, Auston Trusty, Matt Turner and Albert Sambi Lokonga all left, with the Belgian joining newcomers Luton Town on loan. Arsenal will likely find solutions for some of their other unwanted players, like Cedric Soares and record-signing Nicolas Pepe, with the Turkish and Saudi windows still open for business for a few more days.

Marquee Signing – Declan Rice

The former West Ham United skipper must be Arsenal’s marquee signing this summer. The midfielder raises their level and becomes a statement signing following the Gunners’ intense battle with Man City for the England international.

That late winner against Manchester United on Sunday was the moment he endeared himself to the Arsenal fanbase in a big way. That goal was worth paying a fee to make Rice the most expensive British player ever. That said, Rice is the new midfielder dominator that Arteta wanted in his side and a long-term successor, who is also relatively injury-free, to Thomas Partey.

Moreover, the timing of the transfer also holds importance, considering the money Chelsea had to pay for Moises Caicedo at the end of the window, and had Arsenal dragged the saga for longer, West Ham would have demanded a similar fee.

Value for Money Signing – David Raya

There is a straightforward battle for this position between David Raya and Jurrien Timber. Given the latter will miss most of the season, the Spaniard takes on the accolade. Arsenal had two good keepers in Aaron Ramsdale and Matt Turner. But the club thought it wise to allow the latter a departure elsewhere to play regularly and raise the level of the goalkeeping position.

Raya was also Arteta’s first goalkeeper target many years ago, and now the club took a market opportunity when it presented itself. The Spaniard had links to Tottenham earlier in the window, and their approach to Brentford did not have the respect that Arsenal put in.

For instance, Tottenham started with a lowball bid compared to Arsenal, who considered his market value before making their opening offer. To everyone’s surprise, Brentford allowed the Spaniard to join on an initial loan with the option to buy, which works out for Arsenal, especially if they wanted to bring another signing late in the window.

Inevitable Departure – Folarin Balogun

Amid all the expensive acquisitions coming into the club, Arsenal had to conduct a big sale to offset their big splash. Despite a stellar goalscoring season in France, Arteta looked at his squad options and decided he may not need Balogun.

After evading the interest of close London rivals in the American forward, Arsenal finally decided to cave into AS Monaco’s attraction and sell him for a decent fee. Many fans demanded the club make good value from this sale. But the potential £34 million they will receive from Monaco is good business.

For the sake of his career and the demands of regular game time, Balogun had to leave. As for Arsenal, it is a testament to their academy power, as some of their most significant sales came from their backyard. Hence, the sale of the USMNT star will improve their capacity to sell in the future and therefore seemed like an inevitable sale.

The Big Miss – Have Arsenal missed out on a significant sale?

Possibly, and some argue, it should be Nicolas Pepe, but in terms of a significant miss, it is Thomas Partey. While the Ghanaian international remains a vital part of Arteta’s plans, the club should have made considerable efforts to find a suitable buyer for the midfield enforcer.

There were a few offers from Saudi Arabia and Juventus. But Arteta eventually kept the player to strengthen the team. In truth, Arsenal should have taken the chance to sell Partey at an excellent fee and put a succession plan in place early.

In fact, they should have added another midfielder besides Rice to use the window of opportunity properly. There are already links to Martin Zubimendi, which may indicate the club have realised the problems with Partey and his injury troubles. Hence, this is the ample opportunity missed by the Gunners in this window concerning sales.

Verdict – 7/10

In terms of incomings, Arsenal may have had a near-perfect score, but Timber’s injury potentially ranks their business at 9/10. The biggest blot on their activity is the need for top value for their players, who pack a handful of experience.

For instance, with 98 Premier League games under his belt and two FA Cup Final wins, Rob Holding went for an initial fee of £1 million, rising to £4 million. It’s an absurd transfer from Arsenal, who decided to accept Crystal Palace’s paltry offer for the 27-year-old.

Similarly, they have yet to sell Pepe or Cedric this summer, and while it may still happen, they cannot attract any clubs towards their fringe star. Similarly, Albert Sambi Lokonga, a Belgian international once described by Vincent Kompany as the future of his country, joined Luton Town on a dry loan.

Those outgoings have put a black mark on Arsenal’s overall transfer business, hence the rating of 7/10. The players they have brought in are excellent without a shadow of a doubt. Still, in the future windows, fans will expect them to get massive sales done, especially with Manchester City on the other side selling more than £70 million worth of academy stars in a single summer.

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