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 while now. The league video games really feel somewhat 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 concentrate on the summer season. The approaching arrival of Andrea Berta additionally locations a excessive degree of focus and dialogue on transfers. I feel we’re at a stage of the season, and definitely in a mindset, the place we will foreshadow tendencies we will count on 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 staff Ben White’s harm 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 have been it not for an harm sustained within the Euros.
Arsenal tried fairly onerous to shift Zinchenko final summer season and can presumably redouble these efforts this summer season. Takehiro Tomiyasu, sadly, is unlikely to play critical minutes for the membership once more. In a single respect, it appears to be like as if Arsenal’s full-back choices are being trimmed however I view this season as very a lot a optimistic inflation.
Whereas Arsenal have had numerous left-backs, they’ve additionally had numerous left-back accidents. Centre-half Jakub Kiwior began 10 consecutive video games within the place final season resulting from accidents. Whereas it’s true that Arsenal have some harm inclined gamers within the function, I believe there may be additionally one thing concerning the ‘all around the map’ nature of being an Arsenal left-back that makes harm extra doubtless.
In brief, it is smart that the left-back function is shared by two extremely succesful and interchangeable choices. Calafiori and Lewis-Skelly carry completely different qualities to the function that should allow a ‘horses for programs’ strategy to left-back. In the meantime, at right-back, dangerous knee accidents to Timber and White at completely different instances have hitherto denied Arteta the chance to have two Ferraris within the storage on the precise of his defence.
White needed to play with that knee harm for fairly some time resulting from 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 harm resulting from White and Tomiyasu having knee issues. It may be a coincidence, however that’s three right-backs and three completely 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 wanting 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 pondering in recruitment, look not solely at what a membership executes however what they try to fail to execute. I feel when Arsenal focused Benjamin Sesko and Mikel Merino final summer season (with a 50% success fee) Arteta was telling us that having a focus / huge lad upfront had grow to be essential to his imaginative and prescient for the staff.
Focusing on Merino informed us that Havertz was largely seen as a centre-forward (I nonetheless assume we would have seen him in midfield every so often had Arsenal’s well being in assault been higher). Focusing on Sesko informed us that Arteta wished two focus / huge lad sorts to guide the road. Effectively 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 count on 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 harm. That experiment survived for 68 minutes and has not been revisited since.
In an interview with the Guardian this week, Merino describes his new function 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 it’s also true that Arsenal tried to signal Ollie Watkins in January, who doesn’t fairly match the goal man prototype. He does provide numerous qualities operating the channels and hitting pictures from these areas not matched by Arsenal’s different ahead choices.
I imagine that Sesko additionally gives a few of these qualities however I feel concentrating on Watkins was additionally one thing of a Hail Mary answer and doubtless not completely indicative of how Arteta sees his assault. However I feel the focus / huge lad upfront is right here to remain.
Rice to proceed as grasp of all trades
I feel it’s comprehensible that, as a fan base, we’ve 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’ve thought of the deeper function in midfield as one that’s earmarked for him. I’m much less satisfied.
Firstly, I feel Rice is actually a six and an eight all rolled into one and that he operates finest in huge areas. Whereas I feel 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 efficient sufficient motive to do it.
He gives good offensive output and, as I wrote final week, he has grow to be one in every of Arsenal’s most threatening attacking gamers whereas Merino has executed his responsibility as a makeshift striker. The curiosity in Martin Zubimendi means that Arteta nonetheless needs a extra controlling, technical presence on the base of his midfield frequently.
I feel 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 may be the deepest participant with Merino forward of him and generally Rice would have a extra box-to-box function with Jorginho / Partey behind.
We haven’t actually seen that this season resulting from Merino’s accidents, adopted by his redeployment to centre-forward. However I simply don’t assume Arteta is fixated on pinning down one specific function 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 feel Arteta will proceed to confound our want for certainty by leaning into his versatility on a everlasting foundation.
