Arsenal 2020/21 season player ratings

Midfielders

Granit Xhaka – 7

If you take away the two Burnley games, this was probably his best season in an Arsenal shirt. By far our most consistent midfielder, the decision to repeatedly play him at left-back was puzzling as it left a huge void in the center of the pitch.

For all his faults, he is a very good player with a wand of a left foot, and while we still desperately need to freshen up our midfield, I’d prefer to keep than sell. He is entering the final two years of his contract, however, so a decision will need to be made soon.

Thomas Partey – 6

Injuries have certainly played a part here, but it feels like we have rarely seen Partey’s best. Sometimes it felt like he was trying to do too much to prove to us all that he was worth the hype. Still, there were definitely signs that he can be the player we all hoped for, with his line-breaking passes and overall command of the midfield. Let’s hope a full pre-season will do him some good, as we need much more from him.

Mohamed Elneny – 6

He was about what we’ve come to expect: solid but unspectacular, save for a few stunning long range goals (take some notes, Partey). His contract expires next year, but I’d have no qualms with keeping him back as an inexpensive squad player who can be fourth choice.

Dani Ceballos – 4

A calamity of errors in the Europa League was seemingly the final nail in the coffin for his Arsenal career. There were a handful of decent performances here and there, but this season was a huge drop-off from his excellent Project Restart form.

He lacks the technical ability you’d expect from a Spanish midfielder with his infuriating overplaying and is nowhere near the quality we need to get back to the top level.

Emile Smith Rowe – 7.5

It’s no coincidence that our season completely turned around from Boxing Day onwards, when Smith Rowe made his first league start against Chelsea. The presence of a competent attacking midfielder made our attack infinitely more effective, and we accumulated the third most points in the league from that point onwards (any reward for that?).

Still only 20, his relationship and understanding with Bukayo Saka is a joy to watch, and extending him beyond 2023 has to be one of our top priorities this summer. Part of a truly exciting core.

Martin Odegaard – 7

It didn’t take him long at all to hit the ground running after arriving on loan in January. Alongside Smith Rowe, he helped provide the creative spark that we had sorely missed, and scored a couple nice goals as well.

There’s something very Ozilian about nearly everything he does, namely in the precision of his passing and his superior technical quality when compared to the rest of the squad. I tend to doubt we’ll be able to afford him on a permanent transfer, but would take him back on loan again in a heartbeat.