Arsenal’s Preseason Tour clearly highlighted that Arteta’s Transfer Priorities are correct
Arsenal’s Preseason Tour Justifies Arteta’s Transfer Priorities by Eric
Arsenal Football Club has just completed a relatively successful pre-season tour and jetted back to England. Although the best single aspect of the tour is that we made it through with all our projected first XI in good health (or out resting), the Liverpool game drove home some fundamental truths that justify Arteta’s transfer priorities.
Oleksandr Zinchenko was skinned alive in the run-up to Liverpool’s first goal. Yes, he was guarding Mo Salah, who is a difficult cover for anyone. However, the minute Liverpool played that ball into space and forced Zinchenko into a foot race, there was no other way that play was going to end except with us picking the ball up out of the net.
It’s not just a lack of pace that hampers Zinchenko, it’s a lack of understanding of the angles he needs to take in pursuit once he’s beaten. His deficiencies at LB are glaring and it’s easy to understand why. He’s not a natural LB. He isn’t even a natural defender. He’s playing that position as a tactical adjustment from the manager, an adjustment that brings strengths and weaknesses.
The strength of the inverted FB is that it gives Arsenal an extra body in possession to ping the ball off while we try to dominate the football. But when the player in the inverted position is Zinchenko, he will always be under threat from the pacy wingers that populate EPL rosters. Enter Riccardo Calafiori.
He is a natural-born defender and even if he’d have been caught out of position by Salah, he’s much more likely to have worked his way back into the play. Yet he appears to have ball skills that rival Zinchenko’s. That’s in addition to being bigger, stronger, faster, and capable of playing CB. He’s a massive upgrade on the club’s existing options at that position and it’s easy to see why he was top priority.
Although the rumored Mikel Merino transfer has not yet happened, it’s no rumor that Arsenal is short in midfield. Thomas Partey looked a shadow of his former self against Liverpool. The graceful stride he used to patrol the midfield with has been replaced by a languid, pensive gait. It appears as if a combination of age and injury has robbed this once-stellar player of his superpowers.
Liverpool was rampant in the midfield, and Partey was miles off the pace. He no longer has what it takes physically to play at the EPL level, and certainly not for a team with championship aspirations. Jorginho is a very capable deputy, but he can’t play every week and there will be games where we need a more physical presence than he provides. That’s why Mikel Merino makes perfect sense and getting that deal over the line is mission critical.
That brings me to the last piece of Arteta’s transfer equation. Gabriel Jesus started at CF vs Liverpool, and he did very little to convince anyone that he could handle that role week in and week out. It’s a frustrating reality because there is so much to like about Gabriel’s overall game. He’s got good pace, and he can evade defenders in a space smaller than a telephone booth. On a scale of 1-10, he probably rates 8 in most categories.
Unfortunately, the one category where Gabby doesn’t rate that highly is the most important for a center forward: finishing. Gabby’s effort and desire will never be questioned, but the fact that his finishing ranges from average on a good day to substandard on a bad one will always keep him from being an elite-level forward. Arsenal is chasing a Manchester City club that feels more like a cheat code than a football team.
Center forwards who routinely fluff their lines simply won’t get the job done. This is not an attack on Gabby’s character, but an acknowledgment of his shortcomings. Arteta sees it too. If he didn’t, the team wouldn’t have chased Sesko, Gyokeres, or even Victor Osimhen all summer long. Unfortunately, it appears as if the price tag for both Gyokeres and Osihmen will put them beyond Arsenal’s reach.
That explains the connections to Nico Williams, Raphinha, Pedro Neto, and any other scoring winger who might be able to add some lethality to Arsenal’s attack. If Nico Willams is unavailable (Who could blame him for wanting to continue the fairytale of playing professional football alongside his older brother?), perhaps Brian Brobbey from Ajax could be brought in at a reasonable price to support the front line.
Regardless of what occurs, it’s clear that Arteta and Edu have identified the areas where the club needs improvement. More importantly, they are working hard to address those weaknesses. That is a welcome change from a decade ago when an almost inexplicable myopia and hesitation to act had the club in a vise grip every transfer window. Let’s hope we can get a few big deals over the line before the window slams shut.
Eric
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