The premier league season is set to return after an historically short break. Arsenal begin their campaign away to newly promoted Fulham. Its been a turbulent time for the club and the opportunity to start afresh is an exciting one. Last seasons FA cup win glossed over what was a disappointing premier league campaign which resulted in an 8th place finish. While football is certainly a very different experience during these strange times, there is still a considerable amount of excitement within the footballing community about the coming season.
At Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has emphasised that every one of Arsenal’s squad has a chance to prove themselves, including Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi who have somewhat burned their bridges. The mood at the club is relatively high given the current circumstances and where they were last November when Unai Emery was relieved of his duties. They have been relatively active in the transfer market with 5 incomings so far, albeit three out of the 5 arrivals were at the club last season . The loan deals for Pablo Mari and Cedric have been made permanent, Willian has arrived from Chelea, defender Gabriel Magalhaes has signed from Lille while Dani Ceballos has returned on loan for the season.
There is still a month to go in this years Summer transfer window with the closure extended to October the 6th. While there is reason to be optimistic with regard to Arsenal’s transfer business so far, there is still a significant amount of work to do. Bar several young players going out on loan and the confirmation that Henrikh Mkhitaryan would be joining Roma on a permanent contract, there has been no notable exits. With the financial implications of the covid 19 crisis as well as the failure to secure Champions League football, Arsenal essentially have to sell in order to further bolster their squad. The midfield is still crying out for reinforcement and while links to Lyon midfielder Aouar and Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey persist, they have not progressed beyond links as of yet. Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi are reportedly up for sale and one would think that at least one of those two would have to leave before a signing like Aouar or Partey could happen. The futures of Sokratis, Elneny, Kolasinac, Bellerin, Martinez and Maitland-Niles remain somewhat in doubt. This is not ideal on the eve of a premier league season.
Nevertheless, there is still a lot to be optimistic about. What can Mikel Areta do in his first full season in charge after an impressive start to his managerial career? Could Nicolas Pepe’s second season be a breakthrough one? Can youngsters like Reis Nelson and Joe Willock push on? The star striker Aubameyang is set to sign a new contract and could benefit from the service of new arrival Willian. Kieran Tierney is set to be fit from the start having missed much of last season through injury. Exciting prospects William Saliba and Emile Smith Rowe looks set to be part of the first team having spent last season out on loan.
A could start to the season will be important for Arsenal as they look to right the wrongs of previous seasons. A top 4 finish will surely be the main target for a team that have missed out on Champions League seasons for 4 consecutive seasons now. Let’s hope they can find three points tomorrow and put themselves on the right road. The FA cup win was brilliant but we can’t afford to rest on our laurels. The 2014 Fa cup win felt like it could have been the start of something great for Arsenal. That didn’t exactly marterelize. Maybe, just maybe, the 2020 victory under Mikel Arteta could be the beginning of a new era for the Gunners. First of all though, lets get the win tomorrow.
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