3 transfer mistakes that Arsenal are still paying the price for today

Arsenal hope to improve in “every possible department” over the summer months, and the events/mistakes of last season indicate this work ought to start amongst our ancillary staff.

Mikel Arteta made that first remark in a recent interview, during which he discussed the heartbreak of another title near-miss and his determination to chase the marginal gains that might see us go one better next time.

But to have come so close is, in itself, a testament to our (already) strong on-field team and the club's coaching expertise. Meanwhile, there have been a few bemusing calls—whether from the boss, the Sporting Director, or others—that are perhaps more culpable for our shortcomings and continue to hold us back.

3 big transfer mistakes that Arsenal are still paying the price for today

From recent transfer activity and positional choices to the eternal sales quandary, here are three ‘mistakes’ that Arsenal is for which Arsenal is still paying the price still paying the price for today.      

1. No Granit Xhaka replacement

You don't know what you've got until it's gone.

Really, no one can be ‘blamed’ for the exit of Granit Xhaka. According to the player himself, Arsenal did not want to offer a new contract (understandable given he already had one year left and the option of another), while Bayer Leverkusen represented an exciting new challenge after seven years in north London.

But fingers may point at Arteta and Co. over a failure to replace him as, following his transfer, the team lost two vital qualities: extraordinary leadership and a world-class passer to operate at left-side midfield alongside Gabriel Martinelli—something that had contributed a lot to the winger’s incredible 15-goal campaign.

It seemed like a big oversight and one that arguably haunted Arsenal for the first half of 2023/24 when stodgy attacking play became an issue and was partly responsible for us dropping a very costly 17 points out of 57.

Neglecting the Xhaka-shaped hole created a problem, which leads on to the second mistake…

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