Arsenal’s busy summer is just around the corner and the disappointments this season will certainly act as a wake-up call for the Gunners, who need to invest heavily in their squad to stand competitive for major honours next season.
Fresh injections of talent are needed across the side to improve Arsenal’s depth but the Gunners also need to start looking towards the future and the inevitable exits of key trio Laurent Koscielny, Petr Cech and Santi Cazorla.
French ace Koscielny continues to be at his prime, and at 31 has a few years ahead of him still, but Cech, who turns 35 tomorrow, and Cazorla, who’s been absent through injury for the majority of the season, are well into the twilight years of their career.
In defence, the loss of Koscielny will be a big blow an the inevitable exit of captain Per Mertsacker also leaves the Gunners needing to strengthen their ranks to find a top-class defender who’s capable of challenging the likes of Rob Holding and Shkodran Mustafi for first-team football.
Between the sticks, Cech’s form has dipped massively since he first arrived from Chelsea and he can’t be seen as a long-term option for the club’s first-team spot- and the uncertain futures of Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina means new signings in this area are vital.
Finally, Arsenal have struggled without Santi Cazorla this season and the Spaniard’s injury history suggests he cannot be relied upon, whilst the current midfield options within the squad have thus far failed to stand-out as an ideal successor to the influential Spaniard.
Signing a young goalkeeper like Sunderland’s Jordan Pickford would be the ideal process for Arsenal, as he could stand as understudy for a season, featuring in the cup competitions, before taking the number one jersey in the coming years.
Defensively, recruiting a capable defender in the summer to compensate Koscielny, Mustafi and Holding’s position in the side would be ideal, as question marks remain about Gabriel Paulista’s suitability, but finding the right addition could prove to be difficult.
In midfield, Arsenal have a number of options to consider that include Lyon ace Corentin Tolisso and Malaga’s Pablo Fornals, both of whom would be capable replacements for Cazorla and wouldn’t command an audacious transfer fee.
Crucially though, this business hinges on whether Arsenal manage to keep hold of star players like Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as replacing that trio, along with sealing additions in the aforementioned areas and signing a top-class striker, would leave the Gunners with too much to do.