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What can we expect from Arsenal next season and who are you excited about? by Gurjit
It may be a bit early to say that our transfer business is not yet complete, but I am pleased to say that the optimist in me is out, although this time with more confidence in our team and the management for the upcoming season.
Realistically, this is not drastically different from last season, as despite a bad ending to the previous season, we had shown some promise and made some exciting moves in the transfer market; however, there are a couple of big differences; not the results themselves, but how we are getting them and greater clarity about where the power to attract players to the club lies. With the expulsion of Raúl, there seems to be a clear direction from Edu and Arteta that hopefully, given a strong working relationship between the two, should address issues within the team in areas that are weak and cannot be improved with training from existing players by Arteta. alone. Arteta’s training is one thing that has really surprised me, as we have seen more of our players with a higher standard than they usually perform and much more consistently.
This brings me to some (there are others) of our players that I am interested in seeing for next season (if there are any remaining):
Maitland-Niles: There have been ties to him moving in this window, but this may be fading and it will be extremely unlikely if Bellerin leaves. He finished last season very strong and while it would be nice to see him have opportunities in midfield, I think it will be unlikely. Whether the boy likes it or not, he will most likely always be a full back on our team, but that doesn’t mean he can’t thrive there. We have seen him perform excellently on that side and I would love to see him move more towards midfield when we have possession of the ball the way we have seen defenders play for some other coaches.
Pony: I think Xhaka will be an integral part of our midfield next season, although this of course remains to be seen. If we do sign Partey, I would expect him to stand alongside him and allow Xhaka a role where he can dictate the game from deep within. This will remain to be seen given his history with the club but I think he has more to give and that the level he is at now is not his ceiling.
Saliba: I think any fan who thinks they are suddenly going to be a starter and a constant performer is being overly optimistic. However, that is exactly why he will be someone to watch out for next season, as he is quite young, inexperienced and new to a very tough league. He is likely to pay a cut in cup games and, if he does well, be playing in the league by the second half of the season.
Nketiah: We saw last season that he could keep Lacazette out of the team and that’s really all I want from him at this stage. He has shown that he can score goals and works tirelessly and that kind of competition up front is fantastic.
Martinelli: Of all those I have mentioned and those I have not, Martinelli is by far the most exciting prospect for next season. Great with the ball, fast and with a good eye for the goal. I could see this boy being a replacement for Auba at some point in his career. Hopefully it won’t be long before he is back in shape, but he will have a shot in Europe’s group stage and cup play-offs. I would love to see him seize that opportunity again and make his way onto our league team.
Who are you most excited about?
