Arsenal: Don’t forget January excitement

Unai Emery’s first signing as Arsenal Head Coach is Stephan Lichtsteiner. It’s not very exciting. But don’t forget the January additions of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

You would be forgiven for being a little underwhelmed when Arsenal announced the first signing of the Unai Emery era. A 34-year-old right-back who cost nothing and will only start when injuries, fatigue, suspensions or rotation occur, is not exactly the type of addition to get the heart racing.

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Indeed, Stephan Lichtsteiner, while an adept player and astute addition for many reasons, none of which are especially enthralling, is not the marquee signing that many fans would have been hoping for, and that Emery would have been wanting to hang his hat on at this early stage.

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Moreover, ostensibly, the next moves in the pipeline are equally as workmanlike and economical: Sokratis Papastathopolous, a 29-year-old defender who largely courted because he costs only £16 million thanks to a contract that expires in a year; and Marouane Fellaini, the much-maligned Manchester United midfielder who is also the wrong side of 30 and main attraction is the fact that he is free. The transfer season is meant to be a period of hope and excitement and anticipation; these players seem to sap such feelings away, not ignite them.

But that is to undersell the work that has already been put in place by the club. Arsenal are signing these battle-hardened, but a little boring, players because that is what they need. They don’t need the flair attackers, the creative midfielders, the goal-scoring strikers, or streaky wingers. All, or at least most, of those pieces are in place. It is the more foundational, structural positions that need to be filled, and laying foundations is never all that interesting, though totally necessary.

However, that does not mean that fans should not be excited about the Emery era. They should. But the excitement should not stem from the transfers made in this summer window, but rather the work that was done in the January one, five months prior.

The additions of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came without the fanfare. They were a little subdued, somewhat overlooked, and never afforded the same fervour as they would have done if they made last week as Emery’s first signings, rather than a seven-time Serie A champion and international captain.

But since January, Arsenal scored more Premier League goals than any other team bar Manchester City. Aubameyang scored 0.82 goals per 90 minutes, a tally bettered by only Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah of players who played significant minutes. Mkhitaryan, in 1,213 Premier League and Europa League minutes, scored three goals and assisted five, yielding a direct involvement in a goal every 151.6 minutes.

Add to that mix Alexandre Lacazette, who was signed six months prior and is coming off a debut season in which he contributed more goals and assists than any other player in their debut seasons in the club’s history, and Mesut Ozil, who recommitted his future to the club by signing a three-and-a-half year contract in January, the same day that Aubameyang was officially unveiled, and it’s clear to see that Arsenal’s problems are not ones that will be solved by signing the exciting. Actually, they need the boring.

Next: Arsenal: Top 3 midfield solutions

So don’t be dismayed by the underwhelming feeling of the current transfers. The flashy moves have already been made. Now is the time for the foundations so that the brilliance can shine, and that is sometimes a little dull.