With just one month until the start of the 2023/2024 Premier League season, has Arsenal done enough at this point in the summer transfer window to surpass Manchester City this campaign?
That’s a difficult question that only time will tell, however, if you look on paper, and if you look at last season, I think Gaspar Edu and Mikel Arteta have had a solid transfer season, and have definitely closed the gap, but I’m not sure it will be enough to overtake City. At this point in the window, Pep Guardiola has lost captain Ilky Gundogan to Barcelona, and acquired Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea. Bernardo Silva is currently being heavily courted by a club in Saudi Arabia.
The #1 thing the Gunners needed to do in this window was strengthen the midfield, and add depth to the roster. Two of the club’s reasons for last season’s late April/May collapse were Arteta’s unwillingness to rotate his squad because he didn’t trust the depth on his bench.
So far, Arsenal has added three new player. Declan Rice is world class. Kai Havertz can become world class, while Jurrien Timber looks to provide the added depth to the Gunners back line we so desperately missed in 2022/2023.
At this point of the July, if Edu and Arteta decide not to sign any further players, while moving out a group of players through transfer or loan, this could be the Gunners squad in 2023/2024….
Goalkeepers – Aaron Ramsdale, Matt Turner
Defenders – William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Alex Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior, Kieran Tierney, Jurrien Timber, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders – Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe, Mo Elneny, Jorginho
Forwards – Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah or Folarin Balogun, Reiss Nelson, Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli
Is this enough depth? The good news there is more versatility with this squad compared to last season. White and Timber can play center back or right fullback, Havertz and Smith Rowe can play midfield or forward, Tierney can play centerback in a 3-4-3 formation, Nketiah can play striker or winger, plus Rice can play midfield, and defense if needed.
In my opinion, the Gunners need one more top flight midfielder, and a proven striker. I’m not quite sold on either Nketiah or Balogun as the back-up for Jesus. Nketiah did okay, but not enough, during the Jesus absence last season, while Balogun is not a proven Premier League striker. We need to be able to score a lot of goals from this position, so a talent with Premier League experience would be a huge benefit to the club.
With all of that said, all 20 teams need to play their 38 games to see how it all shakes out in May. I predict this will be the most hotly-contested Premier League season in history. There are so many teams that have improved and will be able to compete for those all-important top six places.
Stand by, it will be fun!
Gunner1953
Manchester City has lost five matches in a row in all competitions while being outscored 4 to 14. City will play Liverpool at Anfield on December 1st.
Nov 30 – West Ham United (A)
Ethan Nwaneri scored his first senior team goal for Arsenal v Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
I didn’t see Thomas Partey in your midfield. Does that mean he’s already sold or moving away
Has Arsenal done enough to compete for the title? Personally, I reckon we haven’t thus far. We need a defensive work horse in the midfield with proven pedigree. We tried to do that in January but failed in the persue of Caicedo. Why we haven’t gone back for Caicedo, it’s only Edu and Co who can tell. In earnest, we need a “Milner”-like type of work horse in midfield and a big striker upfront such as Ivan Tony. Go buy l. Tony now and keep because his stocks have fallen down with recent events but at the crunch end of the season, he’ll come in handy to get us over the line. All will look back and marvel at the genius. Oooooo! Sorry just having a fan’s dream. As you know Arsenal will not do these things and we’ll not win the league nor even get into the usual quarter finals stage of the champions league. I am embracing myself for a difficult season ahead for Arsenal.
Austine, just a gut feeling he won’t remain at Arsenal.