Despite not winning the league, Arsenal had a fantastic 2023–24 season, giving Manchester City a run for their money in the title race.
In the coming months, Arteta and his side will need to regroup and reevaluate their tactics. The Arsenal decision-makers should also explore ways to strengthen the team before the start of next season as they look to remain at the top.
There has been some top talents linked to the team. But if you were Mikel Arteta, which two positions would you prioritize reinforcing first, and which specific players would you bring on board?
In my opinion, Arsenal’s success in the transfer window hinges on two key deals: signing a defensive midfielder and a striker. These are the positions that I believe will make or break their chances. This transfer window, Arteta should definitely consider signing Bruno Guimarães to be his No. 6 come next season.
The Brazilian will be up for grabs for £100 million (his release clause) in June, before Newcastle can decide on how much they’d be willing to sell him in July. Despite the potential cost, Guimaraes’ signing could be the signing of the season. For sure, Arsenal’s midfield could end up being the best not only in England but also throughout Europe.
After that, it would be ideal to concentrate on acquiring a top striker to complement the Guimaraes swoop. At one point, reports touted Viktor Gyokeres as Arsenal’s top striker target. Links to the Swede have grown cold, which is intriguing. During the 2022–23 season, the ex-Coventry man already really showed what he’s made of in the championship.
He scored 21 goals and made 12 assists in 49 championship games. Interestingly, with Sporting CP, he’s gone on to outdo himself this season, in 2023–24, with a whopping 29 goals and 10 assists in just 33 league games. Impressive, right? Gyokeres has the potential to lead Arsenal to glory. He could offer Kai Havertz, who’s been doing great in attack, competition.
Hopefully, Sporting CP hit man won’t take too long to adapt if brought to North London. Overall, it’s clear that Arsenal could benefit from adding a striker who has a knack for finding the back of the net.
With Rice and Captain Martin Ødegaard leading the charge in front of Guimaraes, there’s no doubt that Arsenal players will be creating numerous scoring opportunities each game. With these two new additions, along with any surprising signings by Edu and Arteta, I’m confident that our Gunners will emerge as the English champions next season!
Daniel O
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Two positions that are priority is a number 6 and an LB. Need stability at LB the way we have with White at RB. Infact, with a good LB signing, Timber can actually play number 6. He seems so comfortable in midfield. Also, a different profile of a number 8, like Guimaraes would really help. Striker I don’t think is a major priority, not enough to spend near 100m. That money should go to midfield.
I think, based on the little we have seen, that Arteta views Timber as starting LB and with Tomiyasu as capable back-up that would be enough cover for LB IMO.
Timber coming out of a long-term injury, and Tomiyasu being riddled with occasional injuries doesn’t instill confidence in me at the LB position for a title race. Need someone solid there, so Timber can be eased into playing 90 minutes slowly. And Timber would actually curb our need for a DM, if we can get a solid LB this window.
I prefer Timber at RB. But if Arteta has earmarked him as LB, then I would not spend big on LB just to ease Timber back into 90 minutes of football. We are not City in terms of pockets and should not buy a starter calibre LB if we already have that. I agree 100% that if Timber is not seen as LB, then we need a LB, since Tomiyasu is indeed injury prone and Zinc fails against the more attacking teams, which is probably close to half the PL these days.
Timber would be an ideal DM where he played occasionally for Ajax.For Holland he has played RB and RCB, but significantly he never played LB before arriving at Arsenal.Arteta needs to stop trying to put square pegs in round holes.We need a left footed LB and every effort should be made to recruit Hato from Ajax even if it means offering Zinchenko as part of the deal.
Agree, Timber can be a really good DM. That’s one experimentation I would like Arteta to try.
Also, agree on Hato, that he would be an ideal LB signing.
We can always dream, but to me, it is highly unlikely that Arsenal would spend another £100 million on a DM and probably close to that on a striker. I just don’t see that happen and don’t expect that from our owners either.
We should be able to sign a much-needed midfield player for 50-70. Chances are that the type of top striker we need would cost £100 and higher, but I still don’t see us pay that. More likely, we take a big gamble on an up-and-coming striker for around 60-70.
We also need quality cover for Saka. That could either be done by moving Jesus to the right or buying an outright winger.
If Jesus is purely viewed as a striker by Arteta then selling him would make sense. Given our track record of selling players, I doubt we would get more than £40 million for him, if that. But this would be meaningfull money.
Bruno Guimarez and Brian Brobbey would make us
stronger next season.. at least 5-7 goals stronger and secure a good and profitable CL run!!
I don’t get too excited by Brian Brobbey. If we go with an unproven player like that, I prefer a player from a bigger league like Sesko.
I think if we are going to spend a good amount of money on a midfield player, maybe on someone like De Jong or Kimmich, and on a first midfielder. I really wanted to see some games with Zinchenko in midfield, without the role of inverted LB. I go back to my issue with Raya, I don’t like him under the sticks and I wish we could return with Ramsdale or take Pickford away from Everton. a LB would be an excellent choice, Hato is a name that I really liked and I don’t think we need to spend so much in this sector. I also wanted us to make a bet on a young CB and, if Havertz keeps his form, I think Šeško would be more interesting than spending a lot on Gyökeres.
Yep, like your choices. I would consider Joao Neves if he doesn’t cost too much.
The players Arsenal need to add to the team is just 4 or 5.
1. shot stopper to back up Raya.
2. Hungry striker that can score goals.
3. RW to back up Saka.
4. DM to replace Partey.
5. CB to backup Gabriel and Salina.
We can manage Tomiyasu, Zinchenko and Timber as LB and Ben White and Tomiyasu as RB. Martinelli and Trosard are OK at the front to support striker
We were supposed to be in for Guimaraes in 2021 when we could have had him for 35m. Paying 100m now looks like bad business to me. If Edu really wanted him I think we would have got him then.
in 2021 strengthening in other positions was a bigger priority, 3 years is a long time and there is value added for a proven PL star who has excelled vs the untested relatively unknown quantity at that time
from the comments so far there is strong consensus that Defensive Midfield is the priority this summer, and it’s hard argue with that
there also many calls for strengthening Left Back, which i see as being a weakness opponents have targeted this season, so nervous when Zinc on the pitch (btw Zinc not good enough for Midfield, definitely not #6, and Rice far superior #8, Odegaard #10 forget it = sell Zinc)
perhaps the most interesting observation from the comments so far is Striker is not considered a top priority, maybe a young Centre Forward like Sesko, but no longer the clammer for the blockbuster Osimhen, Toney, Gryokeres type of £100m out-and-out striker
and I think that is about right
one area of concern for me is if Odegaard gets injured, in many ways outstanding, but in some ways our most important player because right now there is no adequate cover, unlike everywhere else on the pitch there are others that can come in without necessarily a big drop in quality, for Odegaard no-one in our squad gets close and should he do a knee and be out for the season then our season goes with him
maybe that is part the Edu/Arteta thinking with Guimaraes who if we are honest is perhaps not a natural #6 but capable of stepping forward in to a more attacking/creative role if required, that famed versatility Edu/Arteta crave
others thoughts on our vulnerability to an Odegaard injury and back-up plan welcome?
@arsenal1886,if we have a proper Dm in the mould of Partey, then all of Saka,Havertz, Trossard and Zinchenko can cover for Odegaard. They may not have the same skill set as Odegaard but they have attributes in their game that allows them to stand in if need be.
thanks Cliff, getting a top quality DM is a given amongst every single poster here
but unfortunately none of those 4 have a skill set anything like Odegaard
additionally pulling Saka from RW leaves a huge gap, apologies Jesus could fill in every now and then but not for a long term Odegaard injury, we would surely be massively weakened
Zinc? you must be kidding
Havertz? mister versatile can seemingly play anywhere, even LB for Germany – don’t go there – but again we are weaker in two positions as a result
and I suppose that is my fear, long term injury to Odegaard is something Arsenal are not equipped to cope with and maintain a credible title push
but no-one talking about???
Seems to me like you’re looking for someone who is as good as Odegaard in case he’s not available. Realistically,no one as good as Odegaard would want to be a mere backup. The bane of very good players is that they are usually irreplaceable. Pretty much every team have these kinds of players. Rodri for City is a good example. But good teams find a way to adapt.
That said,what I like about Arteta is that he goes for versatile players and he can adapt his tactics. My opinion is that if Odegaard were to be injured long term,we could alter our tactics a bit. What Odegaard does for us is unique and no one else can do it. In his absence, the system could be altered to 442 such that we can play with two strikers (e.g. Jesus and Havertz or Trossard and Havertz).
good reply, i hadn’t thought about that
the Odegaard conundrum was one the reason why Edu/Arteta might be considering Guimaraes who I think can be good at #6 Defensive Midfield but is not Rodri style specialist, but definitely can play roles further forward, e.g. Odegaard cover
Sure Guimaraes is a good shout. With Guimaraes and Rice of course,even Vieira could work in the absence of Odegaard because he can just focus on play making.Some have even suggested a player like Guimaraes could be played as the right 8, shifting Odegaard to the left which could really benefit our left winger. Both Odegaard and Bruno were top five in the league for through balls. The prospect of of them two playing through balls to Saka ,Martinelli and Havertz is mouthwatering.
Odegaard injury is tricky one to manage honestly, kinda like when Debruyne gets injured for city. City usually make for it with Kovacic and Bernardo changing positions to suit the absence of KDB. I think Arteta wanting to sign Guimaraes is something similar to how Pep got Kovacic. And for Bernardo, I don’t think we have a like for like replacement, but Viera could take that role if he gets better in terms of press resistance. He has a similar frame to Bernardo but isn’t at all there in terms of press resistance and dribbling. Viera does have killer passes and long-range shooting acumen in him so if developed could be our plan B for Odegaard injury alongside Guimaraes, if we get him though.
i agree that Vieira was recruited to be the Odegaard understudy, and while not without attributes for the position, the canyon in class between Odegaard and Vieira right now is a real concern
it seems unlikely Arsenal would have the 2024 PL form book of 16 win, 1 draw and 1 loss with Vieira (or any other current squad) as Player Maker / Attacking Midfield – so goodbye title chances against an outfit like Man C
Our priority is to fix the inadequacies and inconsistencies on the left side.Secondly we need a D.M to replace Partey.
Arteta should decide on how he wants to use Timber coz no one really knows the exact position he will be playing.
In my view Timber is not a L.b but he can be our Dm and cover both R.b and C.b that’s why it makes no sense to spend the figures we are being quoted for guimares.
We therefore should sign a left footed left back to give us stability on the left,my choice will be Theo Harnandez of Millan who wants pastures new.He is highly experienced and can also play as C.D or D.m if need be.
We also need to upgrade on the left attacking wing.
With Mbape and Hendrick seemingly headed to Madrid, we should try and get Vinicius jnr.He can give us an unbelievable boost on an attacking front.Him and Saka will move our attacking tempo a notch higher.
If we add a natural C.F(not so expensive)
Eg Solanke to compete with Kai,I am certain we will be rolling next season.
Vinicius jnr?! Common man be realistic. Madrid won’t be selling Vini anytime soon.
We could of course use Saka as a conventional left winger with Jesus on the RW where he made his mark for Brazil.With these guys on their “natural” side the incidence of accurate crosses would most certainly improve as this is an area where we have been weak during the season past.Martinelli and Saka have the ability to get to the byline but when it comes to crossing on their weaker foot they invariably fail to be effective.It’s not rocket science yet our Manager is reluctant to even try such a simple logical tactic which could at least make us less predictable in an attacking sense.
The disadvantage of that is that the wingers become less of a goal threat. Would Liverpool move Salah to the left just so he can make more crosses? The two best players of my generation,Messi and Cristiano, played as inverted wingers because the angles favoured them scoring. I imagine playing Cristiano on the right just so he can cross the ball would have been a waste of his talents. Or indeed Messi on the left. Or Eden Hazard on the right. The fact that virtually no one does it in the modern game tells me it’s less effective. If it was logical, all the managers would be doing it.
I agree with the writer of this piece.
Even if Arseenal spend their entire transfer budget on these two, it would be worth it.
Arsenal are well stocked at LB with Zinchenko still very much around. He is a player than can also play the No.8 role which he plays for his national team
With respect, we do not have one natural left back and until we get one our left flank will continue to malfunction.
Grandad, Man City don’t have a natural Left Back, but they seem to do well.
For your info Ake started his career as a LB before he moved to Bournmouth when he moved to LCB.Guardiol,who is a natural left footer, cost 50m and is vastly superior at LB to any Arsenal player.According to knowledgeable scribes Gvardiol is likely to be first pick at LCB next season as City are actively pursuing a new attacking LB who currently is first pick at Barcelona.
Actually he started as a CB/DM when coming through the ranks at Chelsea.
As for Gvardiol, he was a CB for Zargreb and still plays there for Croatia.
Grandad, we are talking about absolute priorities here. I can’t see how a LB can be more a priority than the two positions under discussion.
We have done fairly well with our “unnatural” LBs in my opinion.
And modern football is drifting away from the so-called natural position players. That’s why you have left footers playing from the right ( a la Saka) and vice versa
Just don’t add Zinchenko to those left back option. He’s not and will never be.
The inverted system with him in there will not win us the league. Simple!
If ESR is still available he can cover for Odegaard. He offers a different dimension but he is very effective if the coach uses him to his strengths. He can be equally good or better than Odegaard. Odegaard is good but IMO he has failed to bail the team when the chips are down. We have scored lots of goals but there are games where we have failed to create many chances and those are the games a clinical striker is important to the team.
Other than a striker I think the team is OK and Arteta must properly utilise all the players he has. Players like ESR, Vieira, Nketiah, Tierney, Kiwior and Nelson have proved to be capable but they go for long periods without playing such that when you want to use them they are not in sync with the team. Watching Kolasinac playing yesterday you could see how he was misused by Arteta when he was playing him as part of a back three instead of LB.
Another worry is that we have become a buy buy team with no youth getting enough chances to play. Even in games when we were winning by a wide margin Arteta continues to substitute using the same players.
You put it well. Arsenal can not keep just buying players, especially the backups, Arteta has to integrate Academy players and buy some gems with low fee Then only we can sustain. Just like we got Martineli, Saka, ESR and we sold some yougsters for good money.
He needs to curb his favoritism and sell Zinczenko now and get some money that can be utilize for for some good player
i love ESR, but he not a Play-Maker #10 like Odegaard, he is more in the #8 Box-To-Box that Rice is excelling at, and that is fine, but to think he can step in to Odegaard’s shoes and for the team to tick in same way is sadly not going to happen
agree our youth need more of chance, otherwise what is the point of the academy
Simba you forget ESR’s injury history.
I think that deep in Arteta’s heart he loves and wants to keep and play him.
Remember when Villa desperately wanted to buy him; Arteta wouldn’t let him go.
I think that ESR’s healtth concerns remain the basic detriment to his Arsenal career.
There are indeed two positions to strenghten, and it’s the DM to replace Thomas and Mo, the other being RW to be an option to Saka.
Excellent if we get Saka replacement
So you think our LB position is secure for next seasons onslaught for four trophies then Vamos?
It’s just Bruno for me. The rest of the squad takes care of itself, but if they want to spend another £100 million on a striker I’m not going to criticise.