Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal suffer poor start to summer with midfield transfers key

By Trent Nelson

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta reacts during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 23, 2021. - - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by ALASTAIR GRANT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta reacts during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 23, 2021. - - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by ALASTAIR GRANT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Mikel Arteta
Arsenal suffer poor start to summer with midfield transfers key as Mikel Arteta tries to rebuild squad during window. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. /

Arsenal swung for Emi Buendia and missed, despite long being rumored to be the east front runners for the midfielder from Norwich. There came no second offer. Instead, Aston Villa improve their club and without any proof that Jack Grealish is sold this summer, the Villans might be even more difficult to handle this next season.

Mikel Arteta did not experience a great stride this season, and neither did his team. While now ex-players like Dani Ceballos remain confident that he will be among the best bosses in the world within years, others are not so sure.

I, for one, believe in giving the boss his fair shake at all of it. It is likely we gave up too quickly on Unai Emery and look at the quality he has shown back in Spain.

But regardless, the Gunners need more players of higher quality. Getting rid of players the club will no longer need is positive, whether it be Granit Xhaka, Sead Kolasinac, Lucas Torreria, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Matteo Guendouzi, Hector Bellerin or whomever else.

Arsenal suffer poor start to summer with midfield transfers key as Mikel Arteta tries to rebuild squad during window

The funds will help the team rebuild while at the same time allowing for the younger players and newly purchased lads to integrate fully into the team, learning what is expected of them and how best to accomplish that.

In order to accomplish this, getting found in the footballing sense that is, the team will have to rejuvenate their midfield. Whether that includes names like Houssem Aouar, Julian Brandt, Yves Bissouma, Joe Willock, Emile Smith Rowe and/or Martin Odegaard, it simply must be reborn.

Ruben Neves would be fine, yet perhaps only a Xhaka replacement without too much more potential left untapped. Thomas Partey did not have a stellar first season for the club, yet neither did anyone on the club not named Bukayo Saka or Smith Rowe; a better team around him, as well as more time in England, will fix that right up.

They will have to get to things quickly because once the floodgates open up, the individuals and capital begin flying as fast as pens can fly across contracts.

Arteta has said that KSE have promised to properly back him during this summer window, and mixed with the sales of quality players mentioned and left unmentioned, the slush fund towards this end will be even greater than whatever Stan and Josh choose to offer Edu.

Continued…

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