NFL
By: Ty Reeves
As an Arsenal fan, this year gave me a lot of mixed emotions. It had its high points, but this season reached the lowest of lows. Arsenal finished 8th in the Premier League table, missing out on any sort of European football for the upcoming season. In the UEFA Europa League Competition, they were bounced in the Semi-Final by Villareal, who of course is managed by former Arsenal coach Unai Emery. Arsenal also came into the league as defending FA Cup champions but were bounced in the 4th round by Southampton.
After another season without Champions League football, Arsenal supporters from around the world have grown very much impatient with the club’s lack of success and the owner, Stan Kroenke, lack of investment into the club. Calls for KSE to sell the club have been louder than ever before as social media is consistent with hashtag Kroenke out.
Supporters have also grown tired of Arsenals missing identity on the pitch as well. The fanbase is split on whether or not manager Mikel Arteta is the right man for the job. At times his tactics and team selection have been confusing and perhaps displeasing to most fans, so whether or not he can turn things around this summer is up in the air. With the transfer rumors not being the most pleasing, I will give my thoughts on how to fix Arsenal.
Formation: 3-4-3
At the beginning of Mikel Arteta’s time as Arsenal manager, the Gunners lined up in a 3-4-3 formation. At first, the team saw much success using this formation, beating Chelsea in the FA Cup Final and Liverpool in the Community Shield. But after a rough start to 2020-2021, Arsenal went to a 4-2-3-1 style formation. Even with the change of formation, it looked at times that the team had no vision or specific playing style. It wasn’t until Emile Smith-Rowe came into the team until Arsenal had some sort of success using this formation.
At times in the 4-2-3-1, Arsenal looked superb. They had great creativity, but that was usually against the smaller clubs in the Premier League. Against bigger clubs, however, the team often looked boring, lacking creativity, and not the best defensively. So personally, bringing back the 3-4-3 formation would benefit the team for multiple reasons.
If you’ve watched the team play you know that Arteta likes his outside backs, specifically Kieran Tierney, to get wide and forward on the field when they are in possession. We already have the tendency to play with two defenders when we have the ball so moving to a back three just makes sense. So moving Tierney to the left side of the back three and allowing him to get higher up the field makes sense while keeping the same offensive mind. Now, moving to a back three would mean you lose your center-attacking midfielder, who has recently been Smith-Rowe. However, after a full offseason of recovering, I believe Thomas Partey would be able to man the middle by himself, allowing Smith-Rowe to roam free and play in the space between the wingers and the strikers.
Now a real question would be who is going to play the wingback positions. Obviously one would be Bukayo Saka, one of the best youngsters in the Premier League. He’s the most versatile player Arsenal has and he’s shown that he can play as a wing-back. In the other wingback position, I’d play Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Maitland-Niles was a key component in winning the FA Cup in 2020. He might not always be the best going forward but Arsenal supporters haven’t seen him play in half a year after he went on loan to West Brom. He’s expressed his interest in playing as a midfielder, and this could be his opportunity to make a spot for himself in the team.
Now my front three would be Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang on the left, Nicolas Pepe on the right, and Alexandre Lacazette down the middle. For me, Aubameyang showed this season that he is more of a threat when he isn’t drawing the most attention. So playing him down the middle isn’t the way to go. Moving him to the left allows him to take on defenders. But it also allows him to also creep into the channels in the middle of the field when Tierney makes his runs forward. Lacazette is the most underrated player Arsenal has. He was our most effective player down the middle of the field, finishing with 17 goals in all competitions. He’s strong, has great hold-up play and that’s what Arsenal needs in a number nine.
Nicolas Pepe was Arsenal’s most influential player this season. He finished with 16 goals (10 EPL Goals) and 5 assists in all competitions for the club. It’s only due time before Pepe really makes his presence felt, but in order for that to happen, he needs to play week in and week out.
Transfers
It’s no secret that Arsenal is looking to sell players this summer. Some player’s fans want to go, others don’t want to go. It’s already confirmed that defender David Luiz will not be returning to the club, and Dani Ceballos and Martin Odegaard will return to Real Madrid after their loan spells at Arsenal.
Emile Smith-Rowe is ready to sign a new contract with Arsenal until June 2026 after negotiations started in March. Just waiting last details to be completed – then it’ll be done. ⚪️🔴 #AFC
In the meantime, Willian is expected to leave Arsenal this summer as Xhaka and Guendouzi. https://t.co/0oLWSdBGFP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 8, 2021
In order for Arsenal to be successful in the transfer window Hector Bellerin, Matteo Guendozi, Granit Xhaka, Willian, Lucas Torreria, and Eddie Nketiah should all be allowed to leave the club this summer. Arsenal should also look at the possibility of loaning out Reiss Nelson for the upcoming season. Now with those names departing, Arsenal will need to bring in players to be competitive. Here are some of the names Arsenal should be looking to sign.
This isn’t FIFA career mode, so here are some transfer honorable mentions that I feel Arsenal won’t be able to pull off: Jack Grealish, Moussa Dembele, Renato Sanchez, Achraf Hakimi.
Martin Odegaard
Whether it’s on a permanent deal or another loan spell, Arsenal needs to make bringing Odegaard back to the Emirates one of their top priorities. He’s already expressed how happy he was at Arsenal and he was a key player in the team. His creativity and his work rate stood out in the squad showing he had the willingness to defend and his ability to pick a pass. Bringing Odegaard back would bolster Arsenal’s creativity and give Mikel two young options to play in the center of the field.
Tariq Lamptey
With Hector Bellerin expected to look for a new challenge this summer, Arsenal needs to look into getting a right-back and a left-back this summer. With top target Achraf Hakimi off the table, Tariq Lamptey is a good alternative. The Brighton right-back is only 20-years-old and has a full season of Premier League experience. He could be used as a set right back, or a wingback. Bringing Lamptey in would add more youth to the squad and could spark squad competition with Maitland-Niles and Cedric Soares.
Edmond Tapsoba or Jules Kounde
Arsenal missed out on signing Dayot Upamecano, who has already joined German giants Bayern Munich, so finding another young center-back will be a main focus in the summer transfer window. Either Tapsoba or Kounde would be a good signing for the Gunners.
Edmond Tapsoba currently plays for Bayern Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. Tapsoba is a big defender standing at 6 foot 4 inches. Size is something Arsenal could use as they have struggled to defend set pieces for the last couple of seasons. Unfortunately for Arsenal, it is rumored that Bayern Leverkusen wants upwards of $70 Million for the defender.
Jules Kounde is another player that many clubs have on their radar. The 22-year-old has shown flashes of the class defender he can be while playing at Sevilla in La Liga. Again, unfortunately for Arsenal, the Frenchman has also caught the eye of Barcelona, Manchester United, and Tottenham.
Andre Onana
Bernd Leno is a great keeper. But unfortunately, he’s made comments that have left the question of whether or not he will leave the club in the upcoming season. Leno isn’t particularly good with his feet and that is something Arsenal must look for in a keeper. Andre Onana could be the answer to that need. He has proven himself to be a top keeper and he wouldn’t cost the Gunners an extreme amount of money. Unfortunately, he hasn’t played football after being served a 12-month suspension for his doping incident. He’s currently appealing his ban. With that being in the air, the price tag surrounding the keeper is only $7 to $10 million. The risk may in fact be worth the reward.
Yves Bissouma
My first choice midfielder for Arsenal was Boubakary Soumare from French side Lille. But with Soumare set to join Leicester City, Bissouma is the man Arsenal NEED to acquire this transfer window. His raw potential is something many top clubs have seen. Arsenal is in need of a big and powerful midfielder, and Bissouma has the potential to be that player for years to come. He’s going to cost a pretty penny, but this is a player that the club needs and the fans want.
Finally, play the youngster
This past transfer window Arsenal brought in Willian, who proved to be the biggest transfer bust that transfer window. Not only did Willian not play well, but he also took minutes away from young players like Nelson and Smith-Rowe. With Arsenal looking to sell many players, this will give players such as Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba, Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson, Folarin Balogun, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles the opportunity to find their place in the first team.
With no European competitions this season, that means Arsenal can put their focus on finishing in the top four. And if Arsenal hopes to achieve this goal next season, they will have to play the young guys and break the bank this transfer window.
