How do you see Arsenal?
I have thought about this topic for some time. When Arsenal appointed Unai Emery it seemed like a solid choice, a coach that did wonders at Sevilla, the coach that had the ability to bring us European silverware like he did with them. We all saw how that turned out. Freddie Ljungberg didn’t make much of a difference but that didn’t matter because Mikel Arteta came into the picture and he looked like the perfect choice. Honestly, he wasn’t the man we wanted but he looked like a man that could make a difference and he has so far during his tenure at the club. He got rid of the dead weight, promoted talented youngsters to the first team, brought in some good signings, but the fan base does not seem to think that Arteta is the right man for the job. Then I wondered, how do the fans see Arsenal?
When I first started watching Arsenal, they were a great club on the downturn but still played beautiful football. I’ve seen Arsenal go from Chamakh to Giroud to Aubameyang, this club has come a long way. One thing hasn’t changed about the club is the fact it is one of the greatest clubs in England, if not the world. If you had to look at the club now, do our past successes show that we are still a great club? We’ve won the FA cup more than anyone else, but what else is there? We struggle to get top 4, we struggle in European competitions, and we barely lasted in the domestic cups this season. With all the doom and gloom there is a silver lining. We have a great crop of young attacking players, the team has a constant shape, and they are able to produce good performances.
The team is getting better now but it is not a title-contending team. So when will we be a title contending team again? In my opinion, it will be 4 years. We have great young players but they are inexperienced. For the wingers, Pepe and Saka are the starters, but everyone else is not up to standard. The midfield is confused, Partey and Smith-Rowe are the only ones that deserve to start, but everyone does not have a future at Arsenal.
The defence needs work. We need a backup for the left back, right back can improve, and there is no definitive centreback pairing. Arsenal are not known to fix their problems in one transfer window, it took us two windows to get rid of all of the deadweight. Arsenal need to build for the future and that forces us to make some tough decisions.
Giving Lacazette and David Luiz contract extensions is the worst thing that we could do, it does not allow space for young players to fill these places. Experience is needed but not high wages. The midfield needs to be improved upon, a strong spine and depth. Partey needs a partner and Xhaka is a liability. Bissouma could be a good partner for Partey but if one of them goes down who comes in. Elneny is a good bench player but if he is sold at the end of the season who else can come in?
Torreira and Guendouzi do not seem to have a future at Arsenal and that is disappointing. Arsenal need young players that have a high ceiling and can challenge for these positions. Arsenal are reportedly letting go of Bellerin and bringing in Hakimi, it’s good to have an attacking threat but he needs to be able to defend as well, we do not need another Andre Santos. A backup at left back is needed, someone that can challenge, young or old. Centre back, a position that we have struggled with for a long time, needs a leader. Lewis Dunk is the perfect player, but it would be difficult to raid Brighton for two players.
For Arsenal to get all of these guys in one transfer window, it is impossible unless they have the window of their lives. To keep the team as it is, is insane. There are too many mistakes and too many players that are not up to standard. The team needs to trim down and needs to replace the current players with players of more quality. If this team if focused on winning in the future, then they need to invest in the future.
Vuyo Mataka