Following the conclusion of the transfer window, Mikel Arteta finally has a squad of players he can trust and is ready to use at Arsenal.
One of the hallmarks of Manchester City’s recent success was a trimmed squad of players that Pep Guardiola completely trusts. Whether or not, as many say, Mikel Arteta is trying to copy Guardiola in his playing style, the Arsenal boss is undoubtedly following the Catalan in terms of how to build a team that can challenge on a consistent basis.
Guardiola has consistently had that small group of players he can trust to give him a season of top-notch performances, and they have thus far delivered. Arteta has been able to challenge his compatriot for the last two seasons, and now he is more equipped than ever to do so for a third time.
The big issue with Arsenal was their inability to conduct sizeable sales, and they had too many players the manager did not count on. Moreover, Arteta had this element of placing too much trust in a player to come through after a prolonged period of trouble, for instance, Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson.
Then there were the non-performing stars who were essentially taking up spaces in the squad without any promise of delivering when called upon. Hence, it was imperative for Arsenal and Edu Gaspar to get their team in order and present Arteta with the most trimmed-down version of the same.
Arsenal sales and deadwood clearout
Following every season since Arsenal commenced their squad building under Mikel Arteta and Edu, they did make some brilliant signings and few of those turned out to be unfit for their system. For instance, Albert Sambi Lokonga seemed like a good fit, but soon the system at Arsenal passed him by.
He has been going on loans alongside Nuno Tavares, althought Arsenal may have found a near-permanent solution for both those players. Similarly, they had players like Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah occupying key squad positions, and they have managed to offload those homegrown players on decent deals.
There are still a lot of players out on loan, and barring Fabio Vieira, none have a future at Arsenal under Arteta. Even the Portuguese midfielder has not proven his worth since making a big move from FC Porto, where he has returned since on temporary spells.
The big decision was made on Smith Rowe, who Arteta clearly rated. However, the manager who chose to offload him rather than restrict his talent at the Emirates. The big issue with the homegrown star was that he is considered critical to the club’s squad, but the game has passed by owing to persistent injury issues over the last two years.
Hence, Arsenal chose to cash in on Smith Rowe as well as Nketiah, with both those homegrown players fetching a reasonable sum in the market. After all the departures were in place, the Gunners had to make sure the additions were proper and brought in quality, although the whole process did not proceed in that particular order.
Arsenal signed floor raisers
A very theoretical approach suggests Arsenal had begun building the squad with ceiling raisers and have steadily switched on to bringing players that raise the current floor. The signing of Riccardo Calafiori was essential despite Jurrien Timber’s return to fitness and the presence of Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Mikel Arteta likes the idea of Zinchenko, who does give him control in games where Arsenal are expected to dominate. However, he might lean more towards the defensive aspect and the overall balance from the left-back position as the manager still wants to keep inverting his full-backs.
Calafiori was a stellar signing and did improve Arteta’s ideas of fielding centre-backs across the backline for the majority of the season. Alongside Timber, the Italian will have plenty of minutes, as the trim squad does provide opportunities to all available players. There are still those, like Kieran Tierney, who the club will hope returns to fitness and then subsequentely leaves in January.
Arteta has clearly prioritised stabilising the left-hand side, which was uneven last season following the exit of Granit Xhaka. Moreover, the fitness issues with Zinchenko and Tomiyasu did not help Arteta bring continuity and stability on that side, which was constantly chopped and changed to bring balance.
To bring in a mid-term replacement for Xhaka was also a priority and in came Mikel Merino. The Spanish midfielder does provide the right tools for what Arteta wants in the left side of the midfield. Hence, with a left-eight and left-back in place, Arteta will hope for a functional partnership as the season progresses.
The final piece of the transfer puzzle turned out to be Raheem Sterling, who was an opportunistic signing that Arsenal sought late in the window. With the three significant incomings and Neto, the manager got the additions he sought, with every position now boasting ample cover and competition.
Mikel Arteta has a trimmed squad and players he can trust at Arsenal
Last season, Arteta constantly rotated the left wing position with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli but rarely did so on the right-hand side. Bukayo Saka’s importance is vast for Arsenal, and he clearly did not trust Nelson to come in and do a job in place of the England international.
With Sterling, he can rely on the Chelsea loanee to cover for Saka or make a position for himself on his preferred left-hand side. Trossard and Martinelli are capable of playing in different positions, meaning Arteta now has a very versatile forward line that can evolve in various positions with optimum results.
The same goes for midfield, as Arteta need not worry about Thomas Partey’s constant fitness worries and use different options depending on the opponent. The only big concern was the cover for Martin Odegaard. However, the manager has promoted critical academy stars like Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, with the duo clearly ready to make an impact in the first team this seeason.
The defence appears stacked for the time being, and the goalkeeping positions are sufficiently covered with the arrival of Neto. Overall, this is a group of players that the manager can trust and sufficiently rotate in games to preserve fitness and sharpness as opposed to playing many individuals who could be in danger of burning out.
With a trimmed squad and trusted players, Arteta can look forward to the long season ahead and will aim to challenge for all titles available. The integration will take a bit of time, as Arsenal have so far played in second gear, as this is a team capable of firing out of their blocks as soon as they click.
