Fulham game shows Arsenal must continue to spend this summer

Arsenal have been highly active in the transfer market this summer. But against Fulham, it showed that further investment in the squad is required.

The Gunners have won four games in a row and sit at the top of the Premier League table. Life is pretty good for all fans and Mikel Arteta, but Saturday’s comeback win showed exactly why further investment is needed.

The team news broke an hour before the game, and we saw Thomas Partey and Oleksander Zinchenko missing due to injuries. Kieran Tierney filled in reasonably well, while Mohamed Elneny produced a vintage display.

But in the Egyptian’s case, the need for another midfielder to come in before the transfer window slams shut in the next few days is distinct.

Elneny did nothing wrong while on the pitch, he was neat and tidy in possession. He kept things ticking over nicely in the middle of the park and shielded the back four reasonably well.

But he is limited. Looking at the differences in his game compared to Partey, the need for investment is seen.

At times the Egyptian received the ball and could have driven forward and played progressive football in a similar role to Partey. But instead, the ball was played sideways or backward, and any potential move was quickly halted.

Say Arsenal sign Youri Tielemans; this would not happen. While Tielemans doesn’t possess the defensive nous of Elneny, he has much of the same attributes as Thomas Partey.

The Belgian can distribute the ball as well as any player in the Premier League and would constantly push the Gunners forward with his ability to break defensive lines.

This is not a knock on Elneny. He’s a serviceable player and he does his job whenever called upon. But for Arsenal to further improve, more quality must be brought in.

It might not happen this window, but the game against Fulham showed that it likely needs to. Partey’s absence hamstrung the Gunners in many aspects, although Elneny did a fine job in ensuring Arsenal were able to sustain pressure by efficiently circulating possession.

For all of the great things to happen this offseason, such as the arrivals of Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira, and Oleksandr Zinchenko, as well as William Saliba’s return, our midfield situation remains a precarious one.

As we have seen, it only takes one injury to undo all the excellent work that has gone on in the summer.