Don’t pull the plug too fast this summer!l

I not really sure how to feel after watching Manchester City demolish and utterly embarrass Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinal on Wednesday.

Should I feel vindicated that one of the top clubs in the world was also manhandled by City in such an important contest, or should I just come to the realization knowing Pep Guardiola’s club is just that good, and maybe getting even better.

City is on the verge of winning their third consecutive Premier League title, a FA Cup final, and a Champions League final? Yet, even after the season Arsenal has had in the Premier League, it grows more apparent that Man City is head and shoulders above our beloved Arsenal.

As a sidebar, it should be noted the last Premier League team to win this exact treble of titles was Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in 1998/1999.

Manchester City has more experienced players, more versatile players, an overall stronger squad, and a manager who is probably the best in the world today. That’s a tall mountain for our club to climb, but Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar did make significant strides up that mountain this season.

Soon it will bes crunch time once the season ends and summer transfer marker opens. In this window, Arsenal will need to be very careful selecting who comes in, and who goes.

The Gunners will need stronger depth at a lot of positions if they want to compete for trophies next season. The squad seemed to run out of gas following the last international break, while playing in just one competition. Arteta played the same starting XI for a large portion of the season, and then only substituted when faced with injuries. To succeed in 1, 2, 3 or even 4 competitions, a larger, better equipped team will be required.

Joao Cancelo, Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo, Ilkay Gundoga, Mohammed Simaken, and Mousa Diaby are some of the players on the club’s wish list for this summer, however, on the flip side, the list of those possibly is growing day by day.

The latest reports indicate Granit Xhaka could possibly leave for either Roma or Bayer Leverkusen.

By adding Xhaka, the list includes: Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Pablo Mari, Reiss Nelson, Nicolas Pepe, Cedric Soares, Falorin Balogun, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares, Charley Patino, Emile Smith Rowe, Kieran Tierney and Rob Holding. Matt Turner’s name has also been discussed as possibly looking to leave to find more playing time.

Now, in order to keep players like Tierney, Nelson, Smith Rowe, Balogun and Turner, Arteta has to be willing to provide regular squad rotation. It was obvious this season the same starting XI can not go the distance, especially if the club wants to compete on all four fronts.

So, don’t pull the plug too fast! Those are the players I would hope the Gunners try to hang-on to for the coming season (Tierney, Nelson, Smith Rowe, Balogun and Turner). Even Xhaka has enough left in the tank to provide another season or two of strong service to the club. Xhaka has worked so hard this season to help achieve Champions League football for this team. Wouldn’t it be a crime to see him leave before given a chance to play on Europe’s biggest stage as a Gunner?

Would the following squad be enough to win trophies and compete v Man City next season?

Goalkeepers: Ramsdale, Turner

Fullbacks: Zinchenko, White, Tierney, Tomiyasu, Caicedo

Centerbacks: Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior, Cancelo, Simaken

Midfielders: Rice, Odegaard, Xhaka, Partey, Gundogan, Jorginho, Vieira

Forwards, Jesus, Balogun, Trossard, Martinelli, Saka, Smith Rowe, Nelson

Yes, I know it all comes down to money, and it’s never going to be possible to compete with Manchester City dollar-for-dollar, however, Arsenal is making the appropriate strides to compete, strides we have seen first hand this season.

Of course, there will be surprises comings and goings this summer, many we have no way of predicting, but at the end of the day, let’s hope we are able to close the gap between us and the Citizens a little more. We gave them quite a scare this season, so let’s take it to the next level in 2023/2024!

COYG!

Gunner1953