With a new dawn on the Arsenal horizon, we enter something of the unknown this season. Arsene’s Wenger stint in charge of the club came to an end in May and whoever took over the role as manager of the Gunners would have incredibly big shoes to fill.
The man tasked with the job of returning Arsenal to the top end of the Premier League table is former Paris Saint-Germain manager Unai Emery. The Spaniard, who won three successive Europa League trophies with Sevilla between 2014 to 2016, has now traded the French capital city for that of the English one.
And the fact that the 46-year-old comes to London with such a trophy-winning pedigree is something that has given Arsenal fans cause for optimism as the 2018/19 campaign looms large. A feeling that has been further reinforced when you look at the club’s off-season transfer dealings.
Looking at the most recent Betfair soccer betting tips, the price of 33/1 for Arsenal to win the Premier League next season may well be a step too far, but at just 9/4 to finish in the top four, this could well represent a good value bet.
Although the current focus is on the World Cup, Emery is not waiting for events in Russia to conclude before business can be done this summer. Three new names have already been announced at the Emirates and the hope is that there will at least be a couple more to come.
It’s been fair to say that over the past couple of years, Arsenal as a defensive unit have been suspect at times and it is this area of the pitch in which reinforcements have been sourced. In between the posts, German goalkeeper Bernd Leno has joined from Bayer Leverkusen.
This will add extra competition in this particular department, but at the same time, the feeling is that three into one will not go, with the question being, who out of Petr Cech or David Ospina will be departing the Emirates this Summer?
In addition to the arrival of Leno, two new defenders can now call the Emirates home. The first of those is Switzerland international Stephan Lichtsteiner. The right-back, who won an impressive haul of trophies with Italian giants Juventus, will add much experience to the Gunners’ backline.
While the addition of Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos from German outfit Borussia Dortmund will add much-needed solidity to the centre of the back four. Something that will especially be needed what with Laurent Koscielny’s long-term absence.
There’s no doubting that Arsenal have some impressive attacking talent and it could well be that the midfield and final third of the pitch are areas that new boss Unai Emery feels are ones that won’t need all that much of a change.
However, with Jack Wilshere’s decision to find a new club, there is still scope for another centre midfielder to come in and bolster the ranks. A brief that could well be fitted by the arrival of Uruguayan international Lucas Torreira.
The 22-year-old, who currently plies his trade for Sampdoria in Italy, has caught the eye of many this summer and is believed to be very close to a move and the deal should be completed once Uruguay’s participation in this year’s World Cup comes to a halt.
He could well prove to be the missing link in Arsenal’s midfield, offering the tenacity that has been missing as of late. Should this piece of business come to fruition then you would have to say it has been a very impressive transfer window for the club, and something that bodes well for the start of next season.
