With Arsenal on one thing of an island in 2nd place and with each of Arsenal’s recognised centre-forwards dominated out for the season by the primary week in February, ideas have been educated on the summer season for a short time now. The league video games really feel a bit of anti-climactic (which is preferable to sweating on a spot within the prime 5, clearly).
Not doing something of observe within the January market means instantly locations a excessive degree of deal with the summer season. The approaching arrival of Andrea Berta additionally locations a excessive degree of focus and dialogue on transfers. I believe we’re at a stage of the season, and definitely in a mindset, the place we will foreshadow developments we will anticipate to see subsequent season. Listed here are three I’ve my eye on.
4 full-backs
The emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly and the extended run within the crew Ben White’s damage has afforded Jurrien Timber has put Arsenal ready the place they’ve 4 beginning high quality full-backs. Kieran Tierney will go away in the summertime and would have doubtless left earlier had been it not for an damage sustained within the Euros.
Arsenal tried fairly arduous to shift Zinchenko final summer season and can presumably redouble these efforts this summer season. Takehiro Tomiyasu, sadly, is unlikely to play severe minutes for the membership once more. In a single respect, it seems as if Arsenal’s full-back choices are being trimmed however I view this season as very a lot a constructive inflation.
Whereas Arsenal have had a number of left-backs, they’ve additionally had a number of left-back accidents. Centre-half Jakub Kiwior began 10 consecutive video games within the place final season as a consequence of accidents. Whereas it’s true that Arsenal have some damage susceptible gamers within the position, I think there may be additionally one thing in regards to the ‘everywhere in the map’ nature of being an Arsenal left-back that makes damage extra doubtless.
Briefly, it is sensible that the left-back position is shared by two extremely succesful and interchangeable choices. Calafiori and Lewis-Skelly deliver totally different qualities to the position that should allow a ‘horses for programs’ method to left-back. In the meantime, at right-back, dangerous knee accidents to Timber and White at totally different instances have hitherto denied Arteta the chance to have two Ferraris within the storage on the appropriate of his defence.
White needed to play with that knee damage for fairly some time as a consequence of a scarcity of trusted choices there (my kingdom for a match Tomiyasu). Arsenal most likely haven’t been in a position to be as attentive to Timber’s personal restoration from a knee damage as a consequence of White and Tomiyasu having knee issues. It is likely to be a coincidence, however that’s three right-backs and three totally different knee accidents too.
Timber and White are additionally comparatively interchangeable when it comes to their qualities however taking part in one over the opposite doesn’t drastically alter how Arsenal play. It should be a supervisor’s dream, particularly with the constant and aggressive growth of the fixture schedule and with White now open to taking part in for England once more. I’m trying ahead to having 4 wonderful full-backs to select from and rotate subsequent season (till all of them get knee accidents and Mikel Merino performs at left-back).
The massive man up prime
In following a supervisor’s considering in recruitment, look not solely at what a membership executes however what they attempt to fail to execute. I believe when Arsenal focused Benjamin Sesko and Mikel Merino final summer season (with a 50% success charge) Arteta was telling us that having a focus / huge lad upfront had turn out to be essential to his imaginative and prescient for the crew.
Focusing on Merino informed us that Havertz was largely seen as a centre-forward (I nonetheless assume we would have seen him in midfield sometimes had Arsenal’s well being in assault been higher). Focusing on Sesko informed us that Arteta needed two point of interest / huge lad sorts to guide the road. Properly sourced reporting informed us that Arsenal would have been open to the sale of Gabriel Jesus final summer season.
Within the nice striker drought of 2025, it’s Mikel Merino who has been most well-liked as a makeshift striker and I absolutely anticipate that to be the case for the rest of the season. Arteta opted for Trossard as a false 9 for the Leicester match, the primary after Havertz’s damage. That experiment survived for 68 minutes and has not been revisited since.
In an interview with the Guardian this weekMerino describes his new position in very Havertz like phrases. ‘In the event that they defend increased, stepping out and leaving house behind, then I obtain in additional extra midfield areas; in the event that they shut deeper, I’m extra within the space, fixing the centre-backs.”
I shouldn’t overlook that additionally it is true that Arsenal tried to signal Ollie Watkins in January, who doesn’t fairly match the goal man prototype. He does supply a number of qualities operating the channels and hitting photographs from these areas not matched by Arsenal’s different ahead choices.
I imagine that Sesko additionally gives a few of these qualities however I believe focusing on Watkins was additionally one thing of a Hail Mary resolution and possibly not completely indicative of how Arteta sees his assault. However I believe the point of interest / huge lad upfront is right here to remain.
Rice to proceed as grasp of all trades
I believe it’s comprehensible that, as a fan base, we now have a want to see Declan Rice settle into one full-time place. With Jorginho and Thomas Partey set to depart the membership too, it’s pure that we now have thought-about the deeper position in midfield as one that’s earmarked for him. I’m much less satisfied.
Firstly, I believe Rice is basically a six and an eight all rolled into one and that he operates greatest in huge areas. Whereas I believe he can function very successfully as a six, it represents a clipping of his wings. I don’t assume neatly and tidily cataloguing a participant for our personal neurological satisfaction is an effective sufficient purpose to do it.
He gives good offensive output and, as I wrote final week, he has turn out to be one in every of Arsenal’s most threatening attacking gamers whereas Merino has executed his obligation as a makeshift striker. The curiosity in Martin Zubimendi means that Arteta nonetheless desires a extra controlling, technical presence on the base of his midfield commonly.
I believe the intention for this season was that Arteta would choose one in every of Merino or Partey / Jorginho with Rice in midfield, relying on the opposition. So generally Rice is likely to be the deepest participant with Merino forward of him and generally Rice would have a extra box-to-box position with Jorginho / Partey behind.
We haven’t actually seen that this season as a consequence of Merino’s accidents, adopted by his redeployment to centre-forward. However I simply don’t assume Arteta is fixated on pinning down one explicit position for Rice and taking part in him there each week. One of many participant’s largest strengths is that he’s a real all-rounder and I believe Arteta will proceed to confound our want for certainty by leaning into his versatility on a everlasting foundation.
