Arsenal: 3 negatives from huge West Brom win

2. Floor is Still Low in Certain Areas

This transfer window was centred around acquiring young talents who can lift the floor of the squad. For the most part, that has happened.

Nuno Tavares, Ramsdale and Sambi Lokonga are all upgrades on the ‘backup’ options in the squad and improve those areas, yet in central defence and at right-back there are still concerns to be had in what happens once injuries and COVID-19 strike, as they have done now.

Kolasinac will be gone so that’s no major issue, but Holding is not a defender with enough ability on the ball to be so heavily involved in Arsenal’s build-up, nor is Pablo Mari at the level required to be defending against top Premier League strike forces.

The latter didn’t play but was handed a rest as he’s going to be featuring once more on Saturday. At right-back, too, it’s clear that a first choice option is essential to unlocking other areas of the pitch, and the common denominator among all are that they do not have enough quality in possession.

Those early exchanges where the Baggies pressed Arsenal into tight spaces and forced (sometimes didn’t even have to force) errors in distribution allowed the nerves to settle in early doors. If you’re looking at a Man City side that can maintain and raise such levels for longer periods, the likes of Holding, Mari and Chambers will get slaughtered.

Arsenal steadied the ship and got a comfortable win in the end, but to see what the second string still looks like in some departments under early pressure from a Championship B-team shows how much more work is needed in the transfer window.

It won’t be this one though, and probably not even the next either.