Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Marquinhos are all the names officially recruited by Arsenal thus far ahead of the upcoming Premier League season which gets underway in less than three weeks when the Gunners visit Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on the fifth of August.
As previously mentioned, another incoming is the imminent signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko who is set to join the club to provide competition and cover in the left-back position and midfield. Edu Gaspar has acquired quality in specific positions, already adding ability and strengthening areas that weren’t strong enough last campaign and ultimately cost them Champions League football.
Lack of depth costly last season
Three positions that lacked depth last season were left-back, midfield and centre-forward. Kieran Tierney played a key role in Arsenal’s success in earlier parts of the last campaign but struggled with injury towards the final stages. Originally, Nuno Tavares was bought in to solve any issues regarding Tierney’s fitness however after a promising start to the season, Tavares struggled on the pitch with Mikel Arteta at times favouring Cedric Soares out of position or Bukayo Saka on rare occasions.
Arsenal lacked goals from Alex Lacazette after the departure of Pierre Emerick Aubameyang in January to Barcelona. The Frenchman scored just two non-penalty goals in 30 Premier League appearances last season. Arteta then opted for Eddie Nketiah in the close stages of the campaign who bettered his scoring record, starting just eight times in the league compared to Lacazette’s 20 league starts.
Central midfield was a position of concern for Mikel Arteta and his side last season. Thomas Partey struggled for fitness towards the end of the campaign, not featuring after picking up an injury in a 3-0 thumping at Crystal Palace, leaving just Granit Xhaka, Mo Elneny and Albert Sambi Lokonga for the run-in. The injury to Partey was a major factor in the Gunners’ poor form in the close of the season, with his quality in the midfield sorely missed.
Proactive signings in the market
It is encouraging to see Edu Gaspar and Mikel Arteta have already strengthened these key areas ahead of the upcoming season. The acquisition of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City was a huge coup for the recruitment team, securing the services of the 25-year-old Brazilian who was deemed out of favour at The Etihad due to the arrival of Erling Haarland. Jesus had an impressive scoring record at his former club, netting 96 times in his five seasons in Manchester. This addresses a key area, with Arsenal also tying Eddie Nketiah down to a new long-term contract, solidifying a young and hungry attack for the upcoming campaign.
The imminent signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko is once again another deal that just makes sense ahead of the new campaign. Kieran Tierney has already missed 48 games in the three seasons that he’s been at Arsenal. Acquiring the services of a highly respected full-back in Zinchenko is only going to benefit the eleven and the squad. The Ukrainian will battle for the position with Tierney but can also provide high-quality cover should he suffer another injury.
Midfield conundrum
Zinchenko can also play in central midfield, having played there for his country previously. This presents Arteta with another option however; it appears the north London club are far from done when it comes to incomings in N5. With the signing of Zinchenko all but announced, could one of the next incomings for the Gunners be Youri Tielemans? Some reports suggest that the Leicester City midfielder is against extending his contract at the King Power, and wants the move to north London.
Fabio Vieira has also been recruited to help in the midfield department at Arsenal. Formally recognised as a number 10, Vieira can also play in the number eight position, strengthening both the attack and midfield department.
With the upcoming Premier League season just weeks away, Mikel Arteta’s team is starting to take shape. Arsenal are in action in the early hours of Thursday morning when they take on Orlando City at 0:30 UK time before travelling to Florida to take on Chelsea. They return to London days later before welcoming Sevilla to Emirates Stadium for the Emirates Cup.