Arsenal’s season has been grim so far,
with poor results and stolid football stirring up an already combative fanbase.
There are a few positives, though, mostly in the form of young players who’ve come
through the Hale End system, like Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe, and Joe Willock. The signing
of Gabriel from Lille looks shrewd too, and both Gabriel Martinelli and Kieran Tierney
also continue to look like smart acquisitions. Thomas Partey should become one also and, in time,
new addition Omar Rekik will eventually cover a range of defensive and midfield positions.
But these players are still in the minority.
And on the pitch, Arsenal simply don’t create enough quality shooting opportunities. This is
partly because Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang plays on the left and Alexandre Lacazette drops deep
to link to midfield, but it’s also because they’ve no one who can unpick the lock of a deep defence.
With that in mind, here are some of the areas Arsenal need to strengthen.
If you can’t create shooting chances, you can’t score goals.
Arteta has moved between the 4-3-3, 3-4-3, and 4-2-3-1 in an effort to solve this conundrum.
Because of this systemic shape-shifting, it’s hard to argue that Arsenal should buy a pure number 10,
because there’s no guarantee that Arteta would deploy the 4-2-3-1 best suited to such a player.
Instead, Arsenal should get someone who *can* play that role,
but also offers creativity from a wider position if required.
Our pick for the role is Julian Brandt of Borussia Dortmund.
Brandt is the sort of player who can do things that get you off your seat,
but also does unflashy things consistently well. Driving forwards with the ball at his feet,
he can pick intelligent passes at speed because his technique is excellent;
he’s also a solid presser. He’s played everywhere from central midfield to both wings, but he’s most
intriguing as an attacking midfielder – and that’s perhaps where he could do Arsenal most good.
They’re currently eighth in the league for passes into the penalty area,
and sixth for those into the final third, but fifteenth for passes
leading to shots. Conveniently, Brandt has contributed more passes leading to shots and
passes into the penalty area this season than anyone in that squad by some margin.
While he is genuinely a box office attacker at times,
Brandt seems to have the work ethic and tactical discipline to be more than just a luxury
player. He would help solve Arsenal’s key issues creatively, without being a defensive passenger.
Should Brandt carry too much of a price-tag, Reading’s scintillating French U19 talent Michael
Olise could be worth a look. With the potential to play for a top half Premier League side,
Olise brings a wonderful range of creative passing, from slide-rule passes that take
out several defenders to release an attacker to long range lobs into the channel. He’s still raw,
and has had limited minutes in the Championship, but this should be his
breakout season and there are reports of a fairly low release clause in his contract.
Hector Bellerin needs competition. Or even an upgrade. Of the 50 most
valuable right backs under 26 in the world, as ranked by Transfermarkt,
only Tariq Lamptey wins a lower percentage of defensive duels, while Bellerin hasn’t
looked like the same attacking outlet since rupturing his cruciate ligament.
Our pick, Noussair Mazraoui, came through Ajax’s youth system and with the departure of Sergino
Dest to Barcelona, he’s come more to the fore. The 23-year-old isn’t explosively quick but is
an intelligent one-on-one defender who stands in the tackle and has the size to be resilient.
In possession, he’s brilliant - creating overlaps with quick, clever passes in tight areas, but also
carrying the ball with real finesse. His crossing is good enough, but he’s almost better at sliding
through passes that put quick attackers through onto goal or into a more advanced wide area.
Arsenal need that kind of intricacy and more players across the pitch who are
capable of making proper incisions in a defence.
A smart, highly technical full back who’s good at both ends of the pitch,
Mazraoui is also six foot tall and well tooled for the Premier League.
We think he’d be an immediate upgrade on Bellerin, though Ajax will not want to
lose another highly rated right back so soon after Dest and this will push up his price.
A less expensive future option might be Rasmus Kristensen.
Kristensen is 23-years-old, Danish and joined RB Salzburg from Ajax last year.
He’s unusually tall for a full back at six foot two, and is also quick,
strong, and a capable presser – add a little composure to his game, and he could excel.
21-year-old Viitorul Constanta defender Radu Boboc is further off the beaten track. Boboc has
played on the right or left of a back four, and as a wing-back on the right of a five.
This undoubtedly raw prospect has a great range of crosses – chips to the back post,
half-volleyed stabs, classic whipped crosses on the run – and also shows intelligence with
little through balls and smart one-twos. He’s not ready for Premier League football yet,
but a few years learning within a more competitive league and he could be ready for a bigger stage.
Arsenal should be looking for someone to match Thomas Partey’s mobility,
defensive presence, and transitional passing – essentially, another highly balanced player,
who combines general solidity with a range of abilities that can affect attacks.
Brighton’s Yves Bissouma is our man; he’d make a superb partner.
Bissouma is a good ball-winner, with long legs that can get across players in possession and
seize possession. At present, he’s also carrying the ball with great success,
completing as many dribbles per game as players like Tanguy Ndombele and Everton’s Allan.
His passing is well selected: long balls if they’re on, but also short, smart passes
under pressure. Most importantly, he’s shown that he can thrive in the Premier League,
even in a struggling side. At 23, he is still growing into his talent,
but – even now – combining him with someone of Partey’s class and range
might create a platform from which Arsenal could really evolve their attacking football.
Darko Nejasmic, the 21-year-old Hajduk Split midfielder, interests us too. He likes to drop
off to link defence to midfield, and often seeks out long range passes that can bisect defences
or drop the ball into wide areas for players to run onto; he’s also great at switching play.
Although he could improve defensively, Nejasmic weighs in with interceptions and makes regular
recoveries – he’s physically strong and an imposing enough six foot tall. He needs
exposure to a higher level of football but is already impressing with Croatia’s under 21s.