While it has become increasingly difficult to defend Arsenal’s summer transfer business, the scrutiny Mikel Arteta has been subjected to in the aftermath of the Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle and FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester United requires context.
The Spaniard, who has worked around the clock to restore Arsenal’s status as a serious outfit both domestically and on the European stage following his appointment in December 2019, has earned the right to warrant some leeway.
There ARE mitigating factors that have halted his side’s progress this season, not least high-profile injuries and a series of controversial decisions. Admittedly, they also include the dubious acquisitions of midfielder Mikel Merino and injury-prone defender Riccardo Calafiori, both of which for various reasons have flattered to deceive.
With Arsenal now crying out for a forward to revive their ill-fated campaign, fingers are being pointed at Arteta for sanctioning their arrivals over the signing of a marquee attacker but it’s plain to see why both he and departed sporting director Edu felt those deals would be beneficial.
Arsenal scored 88 goals in the 2022-23 season before going three better the following year as they finished second in both campaigns. Only record-breaking champions Manchester City mustered more goals (190) during that time frame. The club’s notoriously flimsy defence became water-tight, improving drastically, only conceding 0.76 goals per game during the 2023-24 campaign and Arteta maintained confidence his team would continue to score goals at will.
Arteta, in consultation with Edu, Jason Ayto, managing director Richard Garlick and vice-chair Tim Lewis are understood to have agreed Arsenal should not sign an attacker for the sake of doing so and instead, opted to strengthen two key areas: Central midfield and left-back.
Thomas Partey had entered the final year of his contract and still there has been no concrete indication that he may extend his stay in north London beyond the end of the season. With talks now advanced over a £51m summer swoop for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, Partey and Jorginho’s futures are in doubt.
Merino’s impact has been limited by his own injury issues while, Calafiori has shown himself to be an upgrade on Oleksandr Zinchenko – while also able to provide cover for centre-back duo Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.
The notion that Arsenal completely discarded the idea of bolstering their forward options is simply not true.
It’s no secret that Benjamin Sesko was targeted but he opted to extend his contract with RB Leipzig. Raphinha, who Arteta has tried to sign on more than one occasion, was also a player of interest amid Barcelona’s ongoing financial struggles, but the Brazilian made it clear he wanted to remain in Catalunya at all costs.
Nico Williams had looked destined to join Barca, too, but eventually stayed put at Athletic Bilbao. Arsenal’s admiration for the Euro 2024 winner remains strong, his salary demands would likely shatter the club’s wage structure and they’d need to pay his £49million release clause too.
Despite a series of underwhelming recent results, the feeling internally at the club is not one of panic.
Arsenal remain in pursuit of Premier League leaders Liverpool and have already played seven of the top 10 sides away from home in the first half of the campaign. They are also third in the Champions League standings and are hot favourites to qualify in the top eight given they face Dinamo Zagreb (home) and Girona (away) in the coming weeks.
If that’s what supporters deem a crisis, then it shows just how far the Gunners have come under Arteta’s leadership.
Yes in front of goal they lack killer instinct. There’s no getting away from the fact that had they been more clinical in the final third in the past week – their expected goals total was 8.23, they scored just once – then results would have been different and the feelings of supporters would be too.
But fans have found it increasingly difficult to stomach Arteta’s defiant post-match comments; first citing the Carabao Cup ball after Newcastle before later claiming the United loss was “one in 1000”.
The obsessive Arsenal boss takes losing personally and has always fought tooth and nail to defend his team. Defeats, particularly in the past few seasons, have been considerably difficult for Arteta to accept. It is the mark of a top manager and a winner. He lives and breathes football and his work. Those using his remarks as a stick to beat him would soon have something to say had Arteta ever intimated his side deservedly lost.
In the background, the 42-year-old has also had to front up the bolt-from-the-blue departure of his right-hand man in Edu, a devastating blow that left Arsenal staff members shocked particularly after also losing CEO Vinai Venkatesham earlier in the summer.
Arteta, who considers Edu a close friend, would hold daily discussions and meetings with the Brazilian at London Colney and while the Spaniard respected his trusted ally’s ambition to pursue pastures new, the impact the decision has had behind the scenes cannot be underestimated.
Arsenal scout turned interim sporting director Ayto is held in incredibly high regard around the club and is viewed as a frontrunner to replace Edu. He is well-respected and well-connected in European footballing circles. But naturally, change requires a period of adaptation and Edu’s exit has created a separate sideshow and challenge Arteta has had to personally navigate, while also ensuring his team continues to perform on the field.
Just because Arsenal have been quiet thus far on the January transfer front, it does not mean there is not daily discussion within the walls of the Sobha Realty Training Centre. In fact, last week, Arteta noted during a press conference that talks, which take place regularly, had been happening long before the opening of the transfer window as the club continues to plan both for the mid and long-term.
Arteta confirmed on Tuesday that the Gunners are willing to do business this month, stating: “We are actively looking in the market to improve the squad. Yes, we are looking and we are trying. Let’s see what we are able to do.”
The club’s aggravated fanbase largely desires immediate reinforcements but like it or not, the harsh reality is Arsenal need the right profile and personality within reasonable financial reach. The persistent noise and obsession with Newcastle striker Alexander Isak is simply not realistic, however much that may sting.
When Chelsea made a tentative enquiry for the Swede last summer, the Magpies indicated they would command a British-record transfer fee that would surpass the eye-watering £115m figure the Blues splashed on Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.
That’s without factoring in negotiations over a lucrative salary and during an era where so much hinges on PSR compliance, the overall package is not even close to being definitively affordable at this moment in time given Arsenal also need to strengthen other areas of their squad.
Sporting CP frontman Viktor Gyokeres appears to be a far more attainable asset, though the Portuguese outfit do not wish to sell until the summer as they have a gentleman’s agreement with the ex-Coventry City man that means he can leave for a realistic price. Gyokeres is understood to have a £85million (€100m) release clause written into his current deal, though could be available for around £63m (€70m) in the summer. If that’s a transfer Arsenal could somehow make happen this month, then it’s certainly one worth pursuing.
There were some loose, tentative enquiries for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo at the back end of last summer but in all honesty, could you expect the Cameroon international to feature over Bukayo Saka when the England starlet is fully fit? That’s highly doubtful, even if he is a fine player.
Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia may have represented an interesting market opportunity this month but even if Arsenal had thrown their hat into the ring, it would have been difficult to compete with the financial package Paris Saint-Germain are offering the Georgian with a deal now reportedly close. Kvaratskhelia is evidently a world-class operator but for the financials involved in a potential transfer, his own numbers in terms of goals and assists are hardly game-changing.
The injury to Jesus is another major spanner in the works. There is a high likelihood Arsenal would have considered offers for the Brazilian in the summer but if he’s now facing a lengthy lay-off as anticipated, it’s hard to see him sealing a transfer at the end of the season.
Arsenal could hypothetically delve into the loan market to see them through until the end of the season but even then, options are incredibly limited.
PSG striker Randal Kolo Muani, who has scored just 11 goals in 54 appearances for the French giants following a £77m switch from Eintracht Frankfurt, is available but there is hefty competition from both home and abroad. PSG also want an obligation to buy in any deal and that would represent a gamble for Arsenal.
It’s understood the club have internally identified a number of possible forward targets but are yet to show their hand. It would come as a major surprise if they did not recruit between now and the end of the window but outside of Zubimendi, no incomings are thought to be close.
Arteta is the figure at the front and centre of all of these issues. But that does not mean it should be time for supporters to hang him out to dry. The growing number of hot-heads on social media already calling for his head are only adding fuel to the fire at this moment in time.
There is nobody better to manage Arsenal and Arteta is under increasing danger of becoming a manager that is only truly appreciated for his achievements once supporters have had a taste of life beyond his reign.
Last week, he said when asked if his FA Cup triumph with Arsenal in 2020 did not get enough recognition, he responded humbly: “I don’t expect to get credit. I expect to get judged on what we do on the day. What we have done in the past or in the future is not relevant. It doesn’t interest me at all.”
It’s that kind of mentality that separates him from most. Those watching on in anticipation, waiting for him to crash and burn, should not underestimate his managerial quality. Blips are part and parcel of the long-winding road to success.
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