New Era At The Emirates Or More Of The Same?
The winter transfer window was one of Arsenal’s most tumultuous in recent times. Several players found their way out from the club, some by choices & others, simply after seeing the writing on the wall. With the exits, in came some new blood to an Arsenal side in desperate need of a revamp. The Gunners softened the blow of losing Alexis Sanchez by bringing in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the final day of the window to join former teammate and long-time friend, Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
The pairing’s debut against Everton went better than either could’ve planned, as they thrumped the Toffees 5–1 at home. Normally, I would be excited for this but since Arsenal’s already beaten Everton in a lopsided fashion, not a lot of stock was put in the win. The true test will come this weekend when the North London derby kicks off at Wembley. Tottenham are at the strongest they’ve been in quite some time & with a possible Champions League spot in play for either club, this would be vital to both clubs going forward.
As an Arsenal fan, you get exposed to more false hope than attendees at pyramid scheme seminars. Time & time again, we’ve been filled with joy only to be let down via players not panning out or an injury crisis that would dishearten anyone. For that reason, I’ll take a reserved approach to any excitement to our new signees. We still have issues to address, especially in our back line, and other questions to be answered.
The most obvious question at the moment is where the presence of Aubameyang leaves our former record signing, Alexandre Lacazette. Ideally, Laca would be paired up top, complimenting the former Dortmund starlet, but that probably won’t be the case. Lacazette strengthens our Europa League squad and will likely be used to lead the line there as we start the knock out rounds later this month. it seems like the safest bet as we make a push for a return to the Champions League, be it via securing top 4 or winning Europa. A Lacazette-Aubameyang pairing would like hitting the gym every day and only doing bench presses; it’s going to leave you looking stupid.
Another question that remains after the passing of this window is how we address our defensive midfield issues. Granit Xhaka’s form of late has been horrid and either way, he doesn’t fit the mold of DM that is needed at the moment. We need a steady presence in front of our back line and the only person who can fill that role after Francis Coquelin’s exit is Elneny. He’s been used as a utility player, filling in gaps wherever they may arise due to any injuries that take a major toll on the squad. This would be a great time to continue bleeding in academy players into the first team like we’ve been doing with Europa, fielding what would be our C team. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is one that looks to be up for the task and he’s shown enough talent to adapt well to any role Wenger throws at him.
All things considered, it feels as if this squad is making the right strides in becoming an actual contender, locking in vital players & looking to compliment their talents with the right role players. This may finally be a club that takes a step forward without taking 2 steps back. Its okay to get excited for what the future may hold.
