Arsenal: Recent history and rival spending suggest patience is futile

Are we reaching for the white flag already? Despite months of intense media speculation and the desperate appeals of increasingly anxious Gooners, the anticipated summer overhaul at Arsenal has so far failed to materialise and optimism is in short supply at the Emirates ahead of the new Premier League season.

There are still three weeks to go until the transfer window slams shut and, as per Goal’s Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts, club sources are pleading for patience and calling on fans to wait until the “end of the window” before passing judgement. However, following defeat to Tottenham on Sunday with an opening-day trip to Brentford inching closer, is there any reason why we should oblige?

One factor that will likely cause the Gunners’ dictum to ring hollow is the current regime’s unconvincing record in the market, exemplified by the disappointing activity conducted last summer.

Although the unprecedented and unforeseen challenges presented by Covid-19 must be taken into account, Arsenal nevertheless experienced an underwhelming close season 12 months ago and oversaw just one permanent departure, with highly-rated Argentine goalkeeper Emi Martinez regrettably completing a £20m move to Aston Villa.

Recent transfer activity and the extraordinary expenditure of ‘Big Six’ rivals indicate calls for patience at Arsenal will fail to comfort anxious supporters

Meanwhile, we did not fare much better on the incoming front as only two major additions – Gabriel and Thomas Partey – made the switch to north London, and the Ghanaian’s arrival was even left until the final minutes of deadline day which subsequently afforded him little time to adapt to his new domestic surroundings.

Amid our struggles to get the former Atletico Madrid man’s deal over the line, the club failed in their efforts to sign another long-term target, this time coveted Lyon playmaker Houssem Aouar, and paid dearly for the absence of a creative midfielder during the Autumn.

It appears that a familiar tale is developing this year as, despite perhaps unfounded hopes that reputational damage incurred by the European Super League debacle – along with another disastrous domestic campaign – would spark significant summer investment, rebuilding efforts at Arsenal have once again left a lot to be desired.

While some positives can and will be taken from the business we have already completed, such as the £75m outlay and arrival of three new faces at the club – including promising English international Ben White – many more additions are still required throughout the squad, namely at right-back, in midfield, between the sticks and possibly in attack, and time is running out fast.

Such stagnation is particularly concerning when compared to the spending habits of our Premier League ‘Big Six’ rivals; champions Manchester City smashing the British transfer record for Jack Grealish; European conquerors Chelsea in talks to re-sign Romelu Lukaku; and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United recently completing lucrative deals for Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane respectively.

Each of these three sides enjoyed campaigns immeasurably better than we did last season and, for the most part, comfortably secured their places in the top four, while the ambition they have shown this summer indicates that the gap will only widen over the coming months.

Of course, three weeks is a long time in football and a lot can happen in the remaining period of the window, with the Gunners’ request for the suspension of judgement until September 1st denoting their intention to spend.

However, recent history suggests that, even if we secure a marquee signing in the near future, we will not be able to address all of our many shortcomings before the deadline, and especially not to the standard required for Champions League football.

Apologies for the bleak outlook, but it looks like another difficult ten months lie in store.