Arsenal and Top Four: Is Denis Suarez enough?

Arsenal are chasing a top-four finish in the Premier League. After signing only Denis Suarez in the January transfer window, is it enough?

When the season started all those months ago, Unai Emery was asked what success would be for his first season as Arsenal head coach. The answer was obvious. Progress and a top-four challenge — he specifically said ‘challenge’ to divert away from potential pitfalls later in the season should he fail in his Champions League-embroiled quest.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Man. Utd Madness; Transfer Travesty

And now, six months later and a little over the season played, the same goals are still at play: progress, which has been seen in several ways, though there has been elements of regress also, and a top-four finish.

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After Chelsea’s 4-0 thumping by Bournemouth, Arsenal sit in the very position that every fan would bite your hand off if you offered it them at the end of the year. This, then, is the time for the club to push on and secure a Champions League berth for next year, something that is increasingly critical in the FFP, money-driven world that football is. And so, it made sense, with a number of holes to fill, that Raul Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat, even though he will be departing soon, look to bolster the squad that Emery uses.

Unfortunately, after a frustrating month curtailed by severe financial restrictions, the Gunners have only been able to secure the acquisition of one player: Denis Suarez arrived on deadline day on a six-month loan deal with an option to make the move permanent in the summer. That begs the question, then, with the many areas of need that still persist, is the lone signing of Suarez enough to secure a top-four finish?

Well, I guess it depends on your opinion on the relative strength of Arsenal’s squad compared to their rivals’ and the difference that adding Suarez will make to it. Some may believe that Arsenal already had a good enough squad to finish in the top four without any additions; others may think that Suarez makes little difference given the defensive vulnerabilities.

But what is certain is that Emery and the club could have done more to give themselves a better opportunity. A centre-back, for instance. A right-back. A winger. Just investing that little bit of extra money in those positions could have put the club in a far stronger standing in the latter stages of the season, particularly with the current struggles of Chelsea and the injury crisis at Spurs.

Qualification for the Champions League is vital for so many reasons. The obvious benefit of competing in a higher class competition. The greater TV revenue and commercial opportunity are massive. It is easier to attract top-tier talent from around the world with the carrot of Champions League football to waggle. Missing out on it would be terribly restricting start to the Emery era in north London.

Time will tell whether Suarez will be the difference between four or fifth and sixth. No one can know for now. But such is the importance of Champions League qualification, it would be a crying shame if Arsenal reflect on January and think ‘what could, or should, have been’.