Arsenal: Reflections on a promising summer transfer window

Arsenal started the season with a 1-0 win over Newcastle and the summer signings offer hope of a renewed bid for Champions League qualification.

Here we are again, the start of another season, but a season that promises plenty of excitement. Arsenal have made six signings and while it shouldn’t be argued that they have definitively solved their defensive issues, there are lots of things to like about this summer’s business.

In the midfield and attack Arsenal finally look to have found some balance. In Nicolas Pepe, they have signed a left-footed wide player capable of carrying the ball and taking players on, which is not something they had last year, while Dani Ceballos is a player of real talent that can go some way to filling the Aaron Ramsey void.

Bukayo Saka, Joe Willock and Matteo Guendouzi are all exciting prospects that should continue to improve on their promise from last season and Reiss Nelson has returned from a productive loan spell at Hoffenheim.

Finally, neither Alex Lacazette nor Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have left the club, which is vital, as they are talismanic players who the fans love.

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Hector Bellerin not being able to start the season is a worry and while I really like Ainsley Maitland-Niles, its a shame his opportunities to prove himself as a midfielder or winger will be limited. William Saliba’s signing should prove to be a shrewd acquisition and is representative of Arsenal’s more proactive approach and their willingness to pay decent money now for a player who could be worth a lot more in a few years.

In defence, Arsenal’s best bet is to seek incremental improvement throughout the side, rather than expecting one player to solve everything. Therefore, David Luiz makes sense in the short term. He is an upgrade on Shkodran Mustafi and his quality on the ball can improve the side’s passing from the back.

Pundits are increasingly pointing to Liverpool’s purchase of Virgil Van Dijk and suggesting Arsenal and other sides should simply try and replicate such a signing. However, it is a bit of a myth that Van Dijk simply transformed Liverpool overnight. Important pieces to that squad including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez were all in place prior to his arrival and he helped take the unit as a whole to the next level. With Hector Bellerin at right back, Kieran Tierney at left back and Rob Holding returning from injury, the Gunners should expect to see a more solid defence on the whole.

Overall though, this should be generally considered a good summer. Theoretically, with everyone fit, the club has a pretty strong starting 11, but the onus is on Unai Emery to coax out an increased level of cohesion to that seen last season. With his contract up at the end of the season, it is now sink or swim.