The Gunners are already making moves ahead of the summer window, but they haven't been what most people had expected
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Arsenal's 2024-25 season is over. They may still have two games to play, but they are immaterial to the grand scheme of their campaign, and it would take a collapse of epic proportions for it to completely spiral into failure from here.
It's another trophy-less year for the Gunners, who last week were eliminated from the Champions League at the semi-final stage by Paris Saint-Germain to confirm they will end another campaign without silverware to show for their efforts. Despite a frenzy of white noise telling Mikel Arteta he is therefore under pressure in the managerial hot-seat, that's not the reality, and definitely not how the Emirates Stadium top brass see it. He rebuilt this team in his image and they're at their highest ebb since leaving Highbury in 2006. He is safe.
There are questions still to be answered by this Arsenal group even amid the disingenuous ones circling their sphere of siege. Can they make the jump from contenders to winners? Was this down year, even with significant European improvement, a one-off or the start of a trend? What will it take to bridge the gap?
Arteta has seemingly picked out where his cohort needs improving upon and refreshing. The early signs suggest, however, it may be in the wrong direction.
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images Sport'Crystal clear what we have to do'
Arteta, unlike his team on the pitch, was clinical with his assessment of last Wednesday's 2-1 second-leg defeat to PSG. He was again asked about the squad's lack of a recognised, prolific goal-scorer.
"I understand that," he replied. "I think the narrative comes up and when you have generated, for example, these five expected goals and we score one goal, it's normal that it’s going to happen. But we look at the things obviously with much more data and much more resources than many people, but a lot of people have very good intuition about what is needed and it's good to listen to those opinions.
"For me it's crystal clear what we have to do, to be better and to increase the probability [of winning]. Nobody can say 'you do this and you win the league, or you win the Champions League'. No manager, no owner is going to sit in a press conference in front of everybody and say that, because the margin is so small, and not only that but a lot of things have to go your way to achieve that."
So it appears Arteta is wary of the problems Arsenal are suffering from and believes he knows how to rectify them then. That should put Gooners at ease, you'd assume.
AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'Super-short' squad
Prior to Sunday's trip to Liverpool, Arteta also recognised that Arsenal had come into the season without the requisite depth to realistically compete for all honours.
"We knew from the beginning of the decision that our squad was super-short and being super-short we had some players that had a high probability of getting injured, because that's what they had in the last few seasons," he claimed. "So we knew that and we cannot do anything about it. But that (availability) is a big thing to win trophies, you know, and Liverpool did that extremely well. They managed to maintain that consistency, that level of players, a system, a coach, a stadium that has created again, and consistently, an incredible atmosphere for them.
"So you need a lot of ingredients or you don't win the Premier League. That's the difficulty of it, and it's true that this season we never found that consistently because of the issues that we had."
It has been further reported that part of the rationale behind this decision was down to Arteta preferring to work with a close-knit group. Now into his fifth full season as manager though, the makeup of this squad is entirely his own and any shortcomings of its construction should be taken back to him.
If Arsenal knew they would be 'super-short', then they actually do something about it, regardless of what Arteta says publicly. Availability was in their favour from 2022 to 2024, yet they couldn't take advantage. Sure, he's right that it is tough to be top dogs because you do need more factors to go your way, but this was definitely an element within their control.
Getty Images SportWrong direction?
Arsenal have already dipped their toes into the summer transfer window with a deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi reportedly agreed, which will set them back around £51 million ($67m). The 26-year-old is a fine player and will fill a hole in the squad being left by the departing Jorginho, representing an upgrade too on the veteran Italian.
Another player heavily linked with the Gunners is Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who would cost in the region of £30m ($40m). Again, a fine player who has huge potential, but in this case not someone who should be anywhere near the top of Arteta's list of priorities, particularly as they already have a top shot-stopper in David Raya. Talks have also been held with in-demand Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen, which could bring about questions over William Saliba's long-term future amid interest from Real Madrid.
Arteta's core group of players doesn't have much wiggle room in terms of finding players who can be sold to boost their transfer budget even before you factor in Jorginho and Thomas Partey's impending free agency. If they're starting their search for at least one elite attacker down £80m, how much more could they realistically be willing to part with before looking at other areas of the squad?
Getty Images SportAn unwise renewal
Keeping the band together would be wise, and so news of a potential contract extension for Leandro Trossard wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world if the length of that prospective deal wasn't until 2029. By that point, the Belgian will be 34. Though still a useful if frustrating player, he is clearly in decline and not getting any younger.
Maybe this is part of a masterplan to sell Trossard later down the line to at least get some sort of fee for him – his current contract is up in 2026. Still, anything Arsenal do receive for him from this point onwards probably won't move the needle that much when it comes to the grand scheme of their transfers.
Trossard's position as a left winger who can play up front is surely – – a profile that Arsenal will be looking to recruit this summer, while there has been little to suggest they will completely part company with the incumbent Gabriel Martinelli. Again, perhaps this is all a long game that we as the public aren't privy to the details of. The optics just seem confusing, is all.
