Pain in the Arsenal: Writers’ 2021/22 season predictions

The season looms large with Arsenal kicking off their 2021/22 Premier League campaign away at Brentford on Friday and it’s fair to say the nerves are beginning to kick in.

Watching a side almost identical to the one that finished last season lose to Chelsea and Tottenham in back-to-back fixtures, the natural response is expect very little to have changed. Guess what? It hasn’t!

Many of the same qualms about the team remain heading into the curtain-raiser, barring the addition of Ben White. A whole 50 million British pounds sterling were parted with and while two 45-minute outings are nowhere near a big enough sample size to make any judgement, it’s no exaggeration to say he’s the best defender this club have had since Laurent Koscielny.

We jest. Sort of.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

Pain in the Arsenal: Writers’ 2021/22 season predictions for Mikel Arteta’s side ahead of the Premier League opener against Brentford

But we need something positive ahead of Brentford and White, along with the incredibly likable Albert Sambi Lokonga, with a dash of Nuno Tavares in there, are about all there is to be giddy about. That and the moment we get to all tell Bukayo Saka how much we love him.

Otherwise it’s all transfer failures this and transfer failures that.

Aaron Ramsdale looked like being a move destined to happen only for Arsenal to realise a day before the season started that apparently Sheffield United’s valuation was actually Sheffield United’s valuation. Who’d have thought? There is still no right-back, only one central midfielder, no goalkeeper, no attacking midfielder and about 432 departures to complete before the end of the month.

Nobody is panicking, right? Well, in regards to us at Pain in the Arsenal, even with the transfer window yet to close and plenty more to be discovered, we’ve gone ahead and made our predictions for the 2021/22 season.

There are league finishes, breakout stars and piping hot takes to look at, all of which are listed below for everyone to rip the shreds and call out for being ridiculous. Or, conversely, to agree wholeheartedly with. Let’s dive in.

Ross Kennerley

Twitter: @SwedishRoss

Final Premier League position: 7th

We can kick off by abandoning any aspirations of a Premier League top four finish. It simply will not happen. Seeing the sides around us strengthening in the right areas and Arsenal doing their best hipster approach by not following the trend, I think this will be a tough and grueling season. I see nothing as of yet to convince me much will change. Still, 7th is better than 8th.

How far in FA Cup: Quarter-finals

Is this our best route back into Europe? Probably. Yet with the ‘Big Six’ sides we usually beat to lift this trophy, given the disparity between us and them if they come knocking again en route to the final it will be curtains. Yes, I’m not confident.

How far in Carabao Cup: Third round

Beat West Brom and then probably lose away from home in the third round. It’s the absolute least of our concerns this season so nobody will be overly miffed.

Player of the Year: Bukayo Saka

While many are tipping Emile Smith Rowe to earn the gong ahead of his teammate, I can’t see our star boy easing off the gas. Sure, he’s played a lot of football in the past 12 months but that doesn’t seem to faze him. Staying fit and not having to worry about anything other than 38 Premier League matches will see him reach even greater heights.

Breakout star: Emile Smith Rowe

Can only be. Smith Rowe’s trajectory building on from last season is at a steep incline and now with the No. 10 on his back and with goals looking like they’re creeping into his game, I can see him exploding. We all can. He’s just brilliant.

Hot take: This will be Gabriel Martinelli’s final season at Arsenal

I do not want this to happen. At all. But I worry. I fear.

Arsenal will sign a Maddison or an Odegaard this season which will prompt Smith Rowe to be wide left, once again significantly limiting Gabriel Martinelli’s minutes, especially in a season without European football. He is far too good to be on the bench. Far too good. I can’t see him, rightly, being content with a bit-part role and in 12 months with two years left on his deal the best sides on the continent will pay what it takes and Arsenal will accept.

A nightmare? Yes. I hope to be wrong. I love him.

Continued…