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Arsenal 2020/21 season player ratings

By Nikesh Teckwani

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 18: Emile Smith Rowe, Rob Holding, Bukayo Saka, Alexandre Lacazette, Mohamed Elneny and Gabriel of Arsenal observe a moment of silence in memory of HRH Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh who passed away recently prior to during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Fulham at Emirates Stadium on April 18, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Facundo Arrizabalaga - Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 18: Emile Smith Rowe, Rob Holding, Bukayo Saka, Alexandre Lacazette, Mohamed Elneny and Gabriel of Arsenal observe a moment of silence in memory of HRH Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh who passed away recently prior to during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Fulham at Emirates Stadium on April 18, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Facundo Arrizabalaga - Pool/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Bukayo Saka
Arsenal 2020/21 season player ratings after Premier League season concludes under Mikel Arteta with Brighton victory. (Photo by Facundo Arrizabalaga – Pool/Getty Images) /

Another disappointing Arsenal season has reached its conclusion, so it’s now time to reflect on the year as a whole and assess individual performances. Here are the final 2020/21 player ratings.

Naturally, as we finished eighth in the Premier League table, the majority of the squad receives average or slightly above average scores, with a few standouts at both ends of the spectrum.

It was a season of ups and (mostly) downs for the Gunners. Having sat in 15th place at Christmas, the team were able to turn things around to an extent in 2021, but still fell far short of the season objectives, missing out on Europe in the process – which may not be the worst thing – but showing form that resulted in them finishing just six points adrift of a top four spot.

Since Boxing Day, only Manchester City and Manchester United collected more points than Arsenal’s 47. Furthermore, only City and Chelsea conceded fewer goals than the 39 the Gunners shipped – undoubted improvements.

Arsenal 2020/21 season player ratings after Premier League season concludes under Mikel Arteta with Brighton victory

So without further ado, here are my end of season player ratings for the 2020/21 campaign.

Disclaimer: I didn’t include players who went out on loan or those who didn’t feature enough to warrant inclusion.

Arsenal, Bernd Leno
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 23: A dejected Bernd Leno of Arsenal after his own goal gifted Everton a 0-1 victory during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton. (Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images) /

Goalkeepers

Bernd Leno – 6

A solid shot-stopper as always, but the German had a shaky second half of the season with a number of blunders. His distribution still leaves a lot to be desired, but he is far from the biggest problem in this team and it’s not a position we should be desperate to upgrade. On the other hand, with just two years left on his contract, we surely have to either extend or sell this summer. Knowing Arsenal though, we’ll probably do neither…

Mat Ryan – 6

Reliable the few times he was called upon, and you could see how much it meant for the Aussie to represent his boyhood club. Would happily take him back as a backup option on a free transfer.

Alex Rúnarsson – 3

Hasn’t started a match since his nightmare of a performance against Man City in the Carabao Cup. It’s pretty obvious that he was out of his depth and we would be better off promoting someone from the academy to be our third choice keeper. All the best to him if he is moved on as expected.

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