The summer transfer window has now closed, and it is time to take a serious look at the new players we have brought into our club.
This transfer window is the first I can remember in a while where we actually signed players in each of the positions we required, and although Lucas Perez is somewhat of an unknown quantity, his stats stack up to someone who could have a huge say in our season.
Our new forward was credited with an impressive 17 goals in a lowly Deportivo side last term, as well as setting up a further eight more for his team-mates. The stats also say he created an average of two shooting opportunities per game last term, and had a pass completion rating of 78%. He will arrive as Giroud’s back-up, but I expect him to clock up a huge number of appearances this term.
Granit Xhaka has also been brought into our first-team, with the Swiss international already proving his worth with a Man of the Match performance against Watford, and looks likely to be a future captain of our side, having proven to be a leader at Borussia Monchengladbach previously.
Mustafi and Rob Holding are the remaining additions to our senior squad, and the World Cup winner looks a shrewd buy, having become one of the most consistent defenders in La Liga in recent seasons.
As you continue to look closer, you will realise that over the past three transfer windows, we have moved to bring in a goalkeeper (Petr Cech), the two defenders, two midfielders in Xhaka and Elneny, with the latter able to play in an advanced role, as well as a striker, completely overhauling the spine of our team.
This is a huge signal of intent, with our club having needed to ring the changes following a 12 year spell without a Premier League title, and we can now look forward to our new team blending together, and as our team learns to understand each other properly, we should soon be able to challenge with the likes of the Manchester clubs.
Another question I’m asking myself is whether the newly arrived spine has been put in place to assure an easy transition in manager, or whether the set-up will be another project that will be overlooked by Arsene Wenger for the coming years.
Does the new spine mean the Frenchman will be extending his stay to try and win titles again? Or is it the beginning of the transition phase?
Pat J