Pain in the Arsenal
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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, Hector Bellerin
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 12: Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on May 12, 2021 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /

Left-Backs & Right-Backs

Hector Bellerin – 4

Has always been a popular character, but it’s now been nearly two years since his return from an ACL injury and he’s never quite looked the same. Actual defending has never been his strength, but he’s also lost some of his pace going forward. A decent start to the season tailed off drastically.

Combine that with Mikel Arteta seeming to want something a little different from his right-backs, and it feels like it’d be best for both player and club to move on at this point.

Calum Chambers – 6

A surprising re-emergence at the right-back position for the 26-year-old. His height is an obvious advantage defensively, but he has also been excellent at getting forward and putting in superb crosses. If he had a bit more pace he might be the ideal candidate for the position, but we probably need to sign someone else with more explosiveness to balance things out.

Still, he’s done enough to warrant an extension on his contract, which expires next summer. Versatility is crucial in a small squad without European football.

Cedric Soares – 5

Actually looked quite alright at right-back earlier in the season, but also filled in as a makeshift left-back for Kieran Tierney. Naturally, he was less comfortable there, and a couple mistakes led to him being somewhat harshly relegated to the sidelines.

The Portuguese international now seems to be third or fourth choice at both full-back positions; if things stay that way, then we should be looking to sell him this summer. There’s just no point in keeping that many defenders, especially with no European football next season.

Kieran Tierney – 7.5

An absolute lynchpin in this Arsenal squad. He’s become so vital – perhaps too vital – as an attacking outlet and chance creator, and we looked like a completely different team after his injury in early April. Some work needs to be done in the transfer market to address our over-reliance on the Scotsman, but he is undoubtedly one of the pillars in Mikel Arteta’s ‘project’, and a potential future captain.

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