Arsenal are hoping to improve in “every way possible” over the summer months, and the events and mistakes of last season indicate that this work should begin amongst our support staff.
Mikel Arteta made that first comment in a recent interview, during which he spoke about the anguish of losing another title and his determination to chase the marginal gains that might allow us to go one step further next time around.
But to have come so close is, in itself, a testament to our (already) strong team on the pitch and the experience of the club’s coaches. In the meantime, there have been some disconcerting calls (whether from the boss, sporting director or others) that are perhaps more to blame for our shortcomings and continue to hold us back.
3 big transfer mistakes Arsenal are still paying the price for
From recent transfer activity and positional choices to the perennial sales dilemma, here are three ‘mistakes’ Arsenal are still paying the price for today.
1. There will be no replacement for Granit Xhaka
You do not know what you have, until you lose it.
In reality, no one can be blamed for Granit Xhaka’s departure. According to the player himself, Arsenal did not want to offer him a new contract (understandable given that he had one year left and the option of another), while Bayer Leverkusen was an exciting new challenge after seven years in north London.
But fingers can be pointed at Arteta and Co for failing to replace him as, following his transfer, the team lost two vital qualities: extraordinary leadership and a world-class passer to operate on the left-sided midfield alongside Gabriel Martinelli, something that had contributed much to the winger’s incredible 15-goal campaign.
It looked like a huge oversight that arguably haunted Arsenal throughout the first half of 2023/24, when sluggish attacking play became a problem and was partly responsible for us dropping a very costly 17 points from 57.
Neglecting the Xhaka-shaped hole created a problem, which brings us to the second mistake…
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