Maybe, except for that left winger, it is hard to argue against the claim that this Arsenal side finally resembles the dream team Mikel Arteta envisioned when he first took charge.
Months into his role as sporting director at Arsenal, Andrea Berta has done exactly what many expected: he has brought some of the best players to the Emirates.
The club’s willingness to spend, paired with his sharp manoeuvring in the market, has proved a brilliant combination. Berta dived into the window and emerged with some of the finest talents available.
Viktor Gyökeres, Christian Nørgaard, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapié, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi all joined.
These were not signings made merely to bulk up the squad; they have completely reshaped Arteta’s starting XI.
Arsenal now the strongest squad in Europe?
In fact, John Obi Mikel has gone so far as to claim Arteta now boasts the strongest team in Europe.
The ex-Chelsea midfielder praised Arsenal’s recruitment but warned Arteta that, with this kind of squad, he should be winning the league.
“He’s done so well,” Mikel said on the Obi One Podcast.
“Mikel Arteta, he’s built a good, good squad – the strongest squad in the Premier League. Not just in the Premier League, I might say, you know, in Europe right now. Arsenal, in terms of depth, their squad is complete. There is no excuse for not winning the Premier League.”
Pressure now firmly on Arteta
As strong as this squad is, the onus now falls on Arteta to get the best out of it.
Having finished as runners-up in the last three seasons, the club’s summer spending spree sends a clear message: it is time to win.
As Obi Mikel rightly puts it, the pressure is on the Spaniard. There will be no excuses.
While injuries may still pose a threat – with Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and new recruit Noni Madueke among the injured – the Arsenal boss commands enviable squad depth.
With smart rotations, he should be able to field a strong side week in, week out. Ultimately, the results should follow, with glory days returning to the Emirates.
What do you think, Gooners? Can Arteta finally deliver the Premier League title with this squad?
Daniel O
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Our squad is strong indeed but other team’s squads like Liverpool and Man City are strong too.
Gyokeres – Havertz & Jesus
Eze – Martinelli & Trossard
Odegaard – Nwaneri
Saka – Madueke & Downman
Rice – Merino
Zubimendi – Norgaard
Calafiori – Skelly
Gabriel – Hincapie
Saliba – Mosquera
Timber – White
Raya – Kepa
Isak – Ekitike
Gakpo – Ngomaho
Wirtz – Szoboslai
Salah – Chiesa
MacCallister – Jones
Gravenbach – Endo
Kirkez – Robertson
VanDijk – Leoni
Konate – Gomez
Frimpong – Bradley
Allison – Madshimivila
Haaland – Marmoush
Doku – OscarBobb
Foden – Cherki
Silva – Savinho
Reijnders – Kovacic
Rodri – Gonzalez
AitNouri – O’Reilly
Gvardiol – Ake
Dias – Stones
Khusanov – Lewis & Nunes
Donnarumma – Trafford
We have THE strongest squad in Europe. It has to be managed properly and used to FULL effect. Our manager is learning by making mistakes, those mistakes need to be less in the future. If he is going to make use of the massive squad he has. Lets not go negative when we can be possitive and just maybe this squad will achieve what it should. European and Premier league winners. Not necessarily in one season but its set up to do it.
Arteta is a as good as any manager in world football. There is no manager in world football that does not make mistakes. Every manager learns more about his team and players over time and these persistent attempts to denigrate him are unnecessary. Arsenal have a strong squad but there are other comparable squads across Europe.
If you want to bury your head in the sand as usual and throw insults to please yourself, fine. But it is Arteta’s mistakes that have cost us points and the title in the last 3 years. But you don’t or do not want to see it or can’t. I wonder why. You keep finding those lame excuses.
Yes, Arsenal can win the League title with this squad. One thing we should always bear in mind is that team success is not just dependent on the Coach, it’s a shared responsibility. No matter how good a coach is there are factors that he can’t control, factors that depends on the ingenuity of the individual players. For instance ball possessions, positioning, creating space for yourself, what to do when with the ball in your opponents 18 box, what to do and not to do when your opponent has the ball in your 18 box, etc, are all dependent on individual player’s creativity on the pitch. So far Arsenal have had a fair start into the season-winning 4 games out of 6, drawing 1 .and losing 1.
Arsenal have been dominant in most of their games, and have become a threat to many teams not only in EPL, but also in Europe. Arteta has brought the team to this height and ranking. While it’s a palpable desire (understandably so) for the club to win a major silverware this season, however, inability to achieve that this season doesn’t amount to failure, and shouldn’t result in call for Arteta sack. The EPL keeps getting stronger and more competitive every season, hence, remaining top 4 and being runner-up for 3 consecutive seasons doesn’t come by chance. The current squad depth and brilliant start into the season gives reason for optimism
We have a very strong squad but let’s hope the gods in charge of footballing injuries would just turn a new leaf and losen their stranglehold against our team
Yes, Arsenal can win the PL if Arteta play the right players and avoid being sentimental and play positive attacking football.
I’m not sure I’d call Arteta sentimental. He didn’t have the luxury of 2 per position and injuries forced role changes and the fast tracking of the youngsters. He didn’t show sentimentality when he dropped Auba and stripped him of the captaincy. Many on here called him ruthless at the time.
It’s quite a different matter now. I don’t follow the minutiae of other foreign leagues but Mosquera is supposed to be one for the future and is certainly better than that. Such is the depth that one or two of the senior players might have a rude awakening by not being guaranteed a starting spot.