Now that the formalities of the European Championships have been undertaken, attentions can now swiftly return back to the excitement of the upcoming Premier League season.
In one of the most wide-open title races one can remember in recent history, Arsenal seem to have faded from the discussion to a certain degree, with the magnifying glass more closely focused on goings on in Manchester.
Leicester City’s unthinkable rise to the top has rewritten the book on what constitutes a successful season and for Arsenal, given their recent trajectory, only a league title will be deemed as progression. It’s simply been too long without one.
The worst part? They really aren’t that far off. We all know that, on their day at least, the Gunners are capable of beating any team in the league.
Doing it over a 38-game season is an idea which Arsene Wenger has struggled to get his head around in the past twelve years and too often the club’s supporters are treated to disappointing results when optimism reaches the roof.
Just last season alone, we saw the 4-0 hammering away to Southampton, the 2-1 home defeat to Swansea City and the 3-2 failure at Old Trafford against an undercooked, inexperienced Manchester United team.
Arsenal’s tally of 71 points earned them a second-placed finish last term, but such was the standard of the Premier League that had they secured the same haul of points in any of the previous three seasons they would’ve finished no higher than 4th. Improving, with the rest of their rivals, is essential.
Granit Xhaka’s £30 million move from Borussia Monchengladbach was met with a wave of approval, but it’s since gone relatively quiet on the transfer front, particularly after Jamie Vardy snubbed a switch from the King Power Stadium. Xhaka fills the hole of a combative, box-to-box midfield player with bite, but surely signing ANOTHER midfield player isn’t the top priority for this squad to fix.
Olivier Giroud topped the goalscoring charts with 16 Premier League goals last term and 24 in all competitions, but more firepower is needed if the Gunners are to push on for that elusive Premier League title. Alexis Sanchez was the only other player to reach double figures for goals last year 17 overall and the team’s league tally of 65 goals was the lowest total since the 2006/07 Premier League season where the team – which finished 21 points off the pace of champions Manchester United – found the back of the net 63 times.
The persistent elephant in the room Gonzalo Higuain has been linked with a move to the Emirates yet again this summer and, despite having turned Arsenal down in 2013, continues to fit the bill for the type of centre-forward Wenger is looking for.
A proven goalscorer in Spain and Italy, his all-round game may not be as polished as other centre-forwards in the world but he certainly knows where the goal is and is bound to have bundles of chances created for him with the likes of Mesut Ozil feeding him the ball – just as he did during their shared time at Real Madrid.
It is defensively, also, where the team find themselves having real room for improvement. Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny have each been loyal servants to the club over the years but have proved now that they are not a title-winning partnership and can be upgraded upon.
As the younger – and arguably better – player, you would say Koscielny still has a role to play in the starting XI but having a new partner could be just the sort of boost he requires. With Raphael Varane struggling to nail down a starting role at Real Madrid, it baffles why Wenger does not make an offer for the young prodigy – particularly given his French roots.
Even if someone of that profile does not want to come to north London, what’s the harm in trying? It can’t be any worse than a 29-year-old former Fleetwood Town forward rejecting the opportunity to swap humble surroundings in Leicester for traditionally one of the biggest clubs in English football.
Ahead of a season where expectations elsewhere have skyrocketed, with Arsenal it seems fans this time are not allowing themselves to get carried away.
The poisonous atmosphere surrounding Wenger and Ivan Gazidis’ respective positions at the club last year appear to have left a lasting taste in the mouth. For Wenger, success this season truly is the only option.
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