At time of writing I’ve watched the AC Milan recreation in full and I noticed the highlights of the Newcastle recreation however, already, my thoughts is racing on the prospects for subsequent season. Arsenal have signed six gamers up to now this summer season and that tells you that higher squad depth is necessary this season after 2024-25 was virtually solely destroyed by accidents. Listed here are three issues I’m curious / enthusiastic about for subsequent season.
DIRECTNESS IN ATTACK
These days I discover a variety of soccer evaluation curiously emotionally charged and I’m not positive that I prefer it. Soccer is a recreation that provokes feelings, clearly and that’s a part of its attraction. However when analysing the sport feelings are good servants however unhealthy masters, but there appears to be a transfer in direction of very emotionally charged evaluation.
Arsenal’s assault final season was just a little laboured and just a little predictable, this was exacerbated by the long-term absences of Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka. I discovered it curious that a lot of the mainstream evaluation of Arsenal appeared to recommend that Arteta needed his crew to be constrained after they went forwards. I discovered {that a} very emotional take pushed by the private dislike some commentators have for Arteta.
Typically it isn’t simply the gamers that you simply signal however the gamers you attempt to signal that let you know a few supervisor’s true imaginative and prescient. Arteta tried to signal Mykhailo Mudryk in 2023, Benjamin Sesko in 2024 and Ollie Watkins in 2025. It’s apparent that Arteta has needed higher fantasy and unpredictability within the remaining third for some time (he and Arsenal will be criticised for a scarcity of execution, in fact).
The signings of Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke are, very, very clearly, an try and shift Arsenal’s play within the remaining third into one thing extra assertive, chaotic even. From Phil Costa’s participant profile of Madueke ‘per FBRef information, he presently sits within the ninety fifth percentile for progressive carries (6.82 per 90) and the 98th percentile for carries into the field (4.12 per 90).
‘Extra impressively, he ranked first amongst all Premier League gamers final season for shot-ending carries per 90 (1.63) and averaged extra photographs per 90 than every other prime flight winger (3.64).’ Madueke doesn’t verify his shoulder to verify the defensive porridge is juuuust proper behind him earlier than working at a full-back. He’s much less prone to verify inside and tuck the ball again to Zubamendi, Rice or Saliba.
As a centre-forward, Gyokeres is equally missing in subtlety. Each clip I’ve seen of the man sees him sprinting over scorching coals to attempt to get a shot at purpose. Usually when he does get a shot off, he hits the ball like its his worst enemy. He performs like an awesome white shark, if he stops shifting forwards he’ll cease respiratory.
This piece by Lewis Ambrose contains some actually fascinating information on Gyokeres. ‘[last season] He took 25 photographs following a profitable take-on. In Europe’s prime 5 leagues, solely Lamine Yamal, Vini Jr and Jamie Gittens (all wingers) recorded extra. Of these 25 profitable take-ons, 9 led to a purpose. Probably the most in Europe’s prime 5 leagues was six.
‘Gyökeres accomplished 97 (3.11 per 90) carries into the penalty space throughout the league marketing campaign. One other look to Europe’s prime 5 leagues and also you’ll see solely Mohamed Salah, Vini Jr and Jeremy Doku managed extra.’ The commonality between Madueke and Gyokeres is that they get to the bloody level and Arsenal might actually do with that in assault.
DYNAMISM IN MIDFIELD
The bottom of the midfield has, in my opinion, been a slight weak point for Arsenal for a couple of seasons now. Jorginho and Thomas Partey might flow into the ball however neither had been essentially the most dynamic athletes. Partey was a legal responsibility in defending transition and had extra braindead moments in possession than I cared for.
The signing of Martin Zubimendi appears to be like to me just like the improve extra befitting of a crew pursuing the Premier League and Champions League titles. Zubimendi has higher athleticism and typically will even push on from his put up and be part of the press out of possession. With Declan Rice beside him I believe there may be higher potential for the gamers to interrelate greater than Rice might with earlier companions who he typically needed to bail out along with his superhuman athleticism.
I felt Jorginho had just a little extra panorama along with his passing than Partey, who had an excellent disguise on his cross however a heavy bias in direction of aspect footed passes to the precise. I believe Zubimendi has extra golf equipment in his bag with regards to passing. He’s extra able to a swap of play and is robust off each toes.
Once more, per Phil Costa’s profile of the participant, ‘Zubimendi isn’t actually a deep-lying playmaker who makes 110 passes-per-game at 95% completion price, or a destroyer who darts round like an assault canine, snapping into challenges and hoovering up unfastened balls – however extra a hybrid of each…Zubimendi averaged the second-most line breaking passes in LaLiga (141) final season.’
In addition to (hopefully) introducing some 5 alarm chilies in assault, how Arsenal get the ball from C to B ought to alter too. Arteta appears to have moved away from having a rhythm part on the base of the midfield and extra in direction of a virtuoso lead guitarist. A whole lot of the additions that Arsenal have made this summer season appear to be geared in direction of much less braking and extra accelerating and that appears welcome and thrilling to me.
NWANERI CENTRAL
With Ethan Nwaneri (who should absolutely be thought-about a late prime veteran in gentle of Max Dowman’s emergence) about to signal a brand new contract with Arsenal, a variety of the reporting means that Arteta sees him extra within the Odegaard function than the Saka function to the precise of Arsenal’s assault. That reporting has been backed up by what we now have seen in each friendlies up to now.
Nwaneri has began the AC Milan and Newcastle video games in Odegaard’s ‘proper eight’ function. Nevertheless, he has not performed it in the identical means as Odegaard. I’m not positive what the captain does is actually achievable for an 18-year-old. What has me in these friendlies is that Nwaneri appears to be drifting rather less in direction of the precise and just a little extra in direction of the centre.
Within the AC Milan recreation, it felt like Rice and Norgaard fashioned extra of a double pivot behind Nwaneri. In build-up, Arsenal typically ended up in a 422 form with Havertz coming brief as a left 10, Nwaneri for granted 10 with Rice and Norgaard parallel behind them. Nwaneri’s superpower is his capturing.
Final season, Arsenal actually struggled to entry central areas and a few of this, in my opinion, was as a result of the poles between the precise and left eights had been too outlined with Havertz additionally dropping into these positions. In the course of the Milan recreation, we get Nwaneri’s excellent spin and shot from the sting of the world. Take a look at the place Nwaneri is in when the ball is handed to him earlier than he avails of his superpower, spinning and capturing.
It means that simply because Nwaneri could be requested to play in Odegaard’s place, it doesn’t imply that he can be requested to play just like the Norwegian. Everybody is aware of how Nwaneri likes to shift and shoot on his left foot from the precise aspect and in the course of the remaining weeks of final season, we noticed groups shutting it down extra successfully.
However he can use that attribute from extra central areas too- it doesn’t all the time need to be a shift and shoot into the far nook. He will help Arsenal entry extra central areas and that may assist him to fireside these rockets. Arsenal took 5 photographs per 90 from outdoors the penalty space in 2023-24 and that dropped to three.8 per 90 final season. Trossard additionally tried a stinging shot from vary within the second half of this recreation.
With Zubimendi taking up extra dangerous passes, Madueke and Gyokeres taking up extra dangerous dribbles, I’d not thoughts betting that Arsenal additionally concentrate on taking up extra dangerous photographs. Madueke and Gyokeres will help with that and so can Nwaneri. Having a run-in-behind striker like Gyokeres may create the area for a few of that long-range capturing.
Or else if defenders concern the potential for a howitzer from distance, they could simply go away their station to attempt to shut down and vacate area behind them for a slipped cross. All in all, I actually assume Arteta and Arsenal are attempting to create higher range and higher unpredictability in the way in which they probe and assault groups subsequent season by introducing higher threat of their passing, dribbling and capturing.
