Arsenal finished outside the top four for the first time in Arsene Wenger’s reign. How have they done in the summer transfer window to remedy that situation?
From 1997 until 2016, Arsenal had a spot in the prestigious Champions League, but an increase in money spent and talent acquired across the Premier League finally brought a fifth place finish to the Gunners last season. Arsene Wenger was handed a new two-year contract upon completion to the ire of most supporters. Both Wenger and the club had to make a splash in the transfer market to ease the fears of another let down season. Have they done so?
The short answer is no. Not close. Early in the summer months, Wenger picked up one of the best left-backs in the Bundesliga last season, Sead Kolasinac, on a free transfer. The move was a savvy piece of business and made it look like Arsenal were well on their way to a great transfer window. A few days later, the club made their biggest move of the summer, making Alexandre Lacazette their most expensive signing in history. Everything seemed to be in Arsenal’s favor early on.
The club was linked to other big names like Thomas Lemar, Riyad Mahrez and Kylian Mbappe in the subsequent months, none of which ended up going through. Arsenal mostly sat still after the first two signings. They shipped on-loan keeper Wojciech Szczesny off to Juventus for £11 million and let a few minor players leave for pittances. Otherwise, they were silent for weeks.
The excitement of Lacazette and Kolasinac quickly wore off due to the inactivity. The summer began to feel eerily reminiscent of the past few windows. A big signing would be paraded around London to the joy of supporters, then nothing would happen afterwards. Everyone around Arsenal knew that they needed more than just a new striker. Everyone, it seems, except the one man who could change that.
The rest of the summer brought about drama from three major players. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil did not commit to the club long-term, leaving their futures in doubt. The Sanchez drama began early on in the season, and continued throughout the summer. The winger would not commit to a Arsenal as clubs lined up left and right for a transfer. Wenger refused to sell his star player and top goalscorer without a replacement though. Reports on deadline day showed that Arsenal and Monaco had reached a deal for Thomas Lemar, but the player did not want to move. Therefore, Sanchez stayed put, and will likely leave for free next summer.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain brought about the other main saga. The Englishman’s contract was also up at the end of the season. He made it clear that he did not appreciate the position switch to wing-back, and wanted to play centrally. Wenger did not oblige, and Chamberlain asked to leave. After a few crazy weeks of speculation, the winger eventually made his move to Liverpool. The reported fee of £40 million is a great deal for Arsenal. Chamberlain overflows with potential, but has not reached anywhere near the level as of yet.
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Left-back Kieran Gibbs also made a move to West Brom for £7 million. It was clear for some time that he was not in Wenger’s plans anymore. The manager sold versatile center-back Gabriel to Valencia for £10 million, which left more than a few supports in discomfort, given the way the Gunners defended last season.
The early weeks of the summer were as intriguing as the end of the window was uncomfortable. The story began as the Gunners attempting to revamp the squad to challenge for a title. Then, as expected, they started the season flat. A predictable loss away to Stoke in the second match and a thorough demolition by Liverpool in the third began the inevitable downward spiral much earlier than anticipated. In the end, the window ended up being damage control.
The summer was another in a long line of disappointments. Arsenal needed to upgrade the central midfield badly, and the Liverpool contest showed why. A shiny new striker can only do so much to balance a team, especially when he’s the only major signing, or when he’s sitting on the bench only three matches in. Keeping Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil for one more unhappy season won’t change as much as a large sum of money could.