Arsenal looked set to win the Premier League title for the majority of last season after spending 248 days at the top of the table. However, in the end they fell short to Treble winners Manchester City.
It was a tough pill to swallow for Gunners boss Mikel Arteta as no team has led the way for so long without emerging victorious. Yet the north London club fell short by five points in the end.
Nevertheless, many believe Arsenal are heading in a direction that will one day see them crowned English top-flight champions. They’ve also been been quick off the mark to get their transfer window up and running this summer.
They have already confirmed the signing of Chelsea star Kai Havertz, with West Ham captain Declan Rice and Ajax academy product Jurrien Timber also on their way.
So, Mail Sport has taken a look at what else Arsenal need to do to compete with City again in the 2023-2024 season.
Arsenal looked set to win the Premier League title during the 2022-2023 campaign but failed
Mail Sport has taken a look at what Mikel Arteta’s side must still to do to compete with City again in the 2023-2024 season
Increase squad depth
Arteta’s transfer strategy over the last four years has been obvious. The Spaniard has been targeting young players who can grow and progress within his squad.
This can be evidenced by the fact he signed Nuno Tavares (21 at the time), Albert Sambi Lokonga (21), Ben White (23), Martin Odegaard (22), Aaron Ramsdale (23), Takehiro Tomiyasu (22) in 2021.
Arteta went on to add Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko (both 25 at the time) to his ranks in the summer transfer window last year. He felt they were young enough to progress and develop with the squad but old enough to provide Arsenal with an element of experience.
However, the Gunners would still benefit from greater depth within their squad, given the difficulty they faced following William Saliba’s injury at the back end of last season.
Saliba sustained a back injury during Arsenal’s Europa League clash with Sporting Lisbon and missed the final few months of the 2022-2023 season. Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Martinelli were also sidelined due to injuries last term.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher insisted a lack of squad depth is to blame for Arsenal’s failure to win the Premier League title last season.
He said: ‘When you look at Arsenal’s first 11, it’s not a million miles away from what we’ve seen from Man City, they play a similar sort of style. [Bukayo] Saka has played every game. Some of your top players can’t play all the time.
Carragher went on to add: ‘Kevin de Bruyne doesn’t play every game for Manchester City and for me he has been the best player in the league for the last four or five years.’
Arsenal have added depth to their defensive and midfield line by targeting the likes of Havertz, Timbers and Rice. However, they could benefit from an additional forward – such as Moussa Diaby, a player they have been heavily linked with.
Arsenal boss Arteta has targeted young players who can grow and develop with the squad
William Saliba’s injury last season evidenced how Arsenal need greater depth in their squad
Sign specialist players
Arteta made it clear he wanted to sign ‘specialist players’ after being appointed as Arsenal manager in December 2019. Speaking to the press after his first transfer window, the Spaniard said: ‘With more time, I would like to have specialists for every position to do exactly what we want to do.’
His selection criteria came into effect during the 2021 summer window. Arsenal had lost their first three games of the Premier League season – forcing the Spaniard to think outside of the box.
As a result, he put together a defensive unit of Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel and Tierney following the September internationals. Arsenal managed to win their next game 1-0 – keeping a clean sheet. They then continued their resurgence by beating Burnley at Turf Moor.
Speaking after the game, Arteta said: ‘We are much closer (to having specialists for every position). But what we identified and recruited was players with really specific qualities and then to demand them to do what they are the best at. I thought today was a really good example with some of the players playing in those positions that give you something different.’
Ramsdale has transformed Arsenal’s playing style due to his distribution. White’s ability to play forward has made the Gunners more threatening and Zinchenko’s arrival has made the Premier League giants more fluid.
The addition of Timber will only help aid the progress they have made. He’s known for being comfortable in possession and picking out impossible passes. He’s unusually fast for his position and has the ability to organise a backline quickly and effectively.
Arsenal have reached an agreement to sign Ajax defender Jurrien Timber (pictured above)
He made 2,517 passes in the 2022-2023 campaign, 379 more than the next highest player in the Dutch top flight. He also completed 91.6 per cent of his passes successfully. Not to mention the fact he averaged 90.5 touches last term – which was higher than any other player in the division.
Find an out-and-out goalscorer
Arsenal have already signed Havertz ahead of the 2023-2024 campaign. They see him as the one who will draw markers away and create space for others, someone who can create opportunities out of nothing, someone who can ‘make things happen’.
However, Havertz – who recorded better stats when he lined up in midfield for Chelsea – is not the out-and-out goal scorer Arsenal need. Diaby, one of the names being linked with the Gunners, is also not prolific in front of goal.
The French winger has attracted interest from across Europe with his performances for Bayer Leverkusen, where he has contributed 49 goals and 48 assists in 172 appearances.
L’Equipe reported last month that while Arsenal were leading the race for his signature, they are still looking at bringing in one more attacking option.
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Arsenal have signed Kai Havertz (above) from Chelsea ahead of the 2023-2024 campaign
Greater physicality in midfield
Arsenal are set to place Havertz on the left-hand side of an exciting, new-look midfield three next season, with Rice setting up as the deep-lying No 6 and captain Odegaard on the other side as a No 8.
Odegaard, the only of the three who was at the club last campaign, will reprise the right-sided role he excelled in during the 2022-23 season. The statistics from last season offers some interesting insight into the 24-year-old’s contribution.
Among midfielders who played at least 60 per cent of Premier League games last season, Odegaard ranks second for goals (15), third for expected assists (7.95), eighth for assists (seven) and fifth for key passes per game (2.08).
He will be accompanied by Rice during the 2023-2024 campaign. The England international will mainly play as the deepest and most central of the three, with both Odegaard and Havertz on either side of him.
Arteta is looking to reinforce his midfield line with the addition on Declan Rice (right)
This addition of Rice will be beneficial for Arsenal given he tops the league in terms of interceptions per game (1.70) and ball recoveries per game (9.03), demonstrating his anticipation and positioning. He also ranks ninth for passing accuracy, with 88 per cent.
Havertz is expected to balance out Odegaard’s creativity and Rice’s defensive ability. However, there are concerns over the trio’s physicality and whether they will be bullied by more dominant sides.
Additionally, Arteta will need to help Havertz when it comes to his off-the-ball work and positioning in defensive terms.
Arsenal’s midfield has the potential to be great but needs some fine-tuning, and another, stronger option to come off the bench and be rotated would also be beneficial.
Cancelo arrival?
Arsenal have identified Joao Cancelo – who was shipped out on a mid-season loan to Bayern Munich after falling out with Pep Guardiola – as a great option to improve their defensive quality.
His addition would further increase the title-winning experience within Arsenal’s young squad as Cancelo played a key role in two of Manchester City’s Premier League title triumphs.
Additionally, Cancelo has proved he can work alongside Arteta – having spent time with the Spaniard at City before he left to take charge at the Gunners.
The signing of Cancelo would come as a blow to White – who has been exceptional. Nevertheless, his arrival could see White provide cover and competition at centre-back – which is ultimately his best position.
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Arsenal have identified Joao Cancelo – who was shipped out on a mid-season loan to Bayern Munich after falling out with Pep Guardiola – as a great option to improve defensive quality
