UberArsenal – Blogging about The Arsenal

Let’s take a quick look at the Arsenal squad ahead of the 2022/23 season and decide on whether we should keep/loan/sell each player.

Goalkeeper: Aaron Ramsdale – Keep

There’s no real need to explain this one. At just 24 years old, Aaron Ramsdale will keep on improving and could be our number one goalkeeper for the next decade or more.

Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno – Sell

Bernd lost his place to Ramsdale in September of last year and failed to take it back from his fellow goalkeeping competitor for the remainder of the season. After four seasons in North London, it seems like it’s the right time for both parties to part ways and allow the German to join a team where he will be #1. Benfica/Fulham are heavily linked to the 30-year-old, and Arsenal are likely to receive a fee in the region of £6 – £10M, whilst Matt Turner is set to become our second-choice goalie moving forward. Thanks for the saves, Bernd.

Goalkeeper: Alex Runarsson – Sell

After a poor debut season, which featured the Icelandic goalkeeper making a comical error in our 4-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final loss to Manchester City, Runarsson was sent on loan last season to Belgian side OH Leuven. At the end of the day, the 27-year-old is nowhere near good enough to play for Arsenal and should be sold for any amount of money we can get in the summer.

Goalkeeper: Arthur Okonkwo – Loan

The 20-year-old goalkeeper is likely to be sent on loan for the 2022/23 season, with Karl Hein likely to be moved up into the senior squad to join Matt Turner and Aaron Ramsdale. The 6ft5 shot stopper will benefit greatly from a loan spell where he plays more regularly at a respectable level. 20 years of age for a goalkeeper is like 15 for an outfielder, and Okonkwo has a lot of potential and a lot of time to try to move up in the ranks at Arsenal. 

Defender: Gabriel Magalhaes – Keep

The Brazilian defender has had two solid seasons in North London and is only getting better. There’s no real need to explain this one.

Defender: Ben White – Keep

Our most expensive defender ever had a bright debut season last year and formed a strong partnership with fellow 24-year-old centre half Gabriel. Again, there’s no real need to explain this one.

Defender: William Saliba – Keep

It’s pretty crazy to think that we officially signed William Saliba three summers ago, yet we’re still yet to see him play a professional game for the club. After another successful season on loan with Marseille which saw the Frenchman win the award for Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Season, there’s no doubt about it that Saliba has to return to North London for the upcoming season. With the club back in the Europa League, the number of games we have next season will be increased, and we need as much quality as the back as we can get. Saliba is one of the best young defenders in Europe, and is admittedly eager to show his worth in the best league in the world. Mikel Arteta will have to find a way to incorporate the 21-year-old into his side and it will be interesting to see how he does it after the partnership that Gabriel and White formed last season. It’s time that we see him playing in red and white.

Defender: Rob Holding – Keep

The 26-year-old had a decent season as our back-up centre-half (if you completely erase the Tottenham game from your memory). With experience, seniority and willingness to be a back-up, Rob is a good squad member to have, despite his weaknesses ability wise. It’s likely that he will be utilised in the UEL group stages and early rounds of the Cups.

Defender: Pablo Mari – Sell

While we’ve definitely had worse defenders, Pablo Mari is one which we should be happy to sell in the summer. The 28-year-old has proved that he’s not good enough to be first choice for us at the back, and it seems like he wants regular first-team football, which he won’t be getting for us. A move away seems best for both the player and the club.

Defender: Takehiro Tomiyasu – Keep

The 23-year-old had a great debut season and looked calm, assured and comfortable from the moment he made his debut at The Emirates back in September. Hopefully he stays injury free for the majority of the 2022/23 season. Obvious keep.

Defender: Cedric Soares – Keep

Despite limitations in his ability, Cedric is a decent squad player to have who can play in various positions across the backline when needed. The 30-year-old is likely to remain as our back-up right back for the 2022/23 season and it’s unlikely the club splashes out on a replacement for him.

Defender: Kieran Tierney – Keep

Our future captain if he can manage to sort out his recurring fitness issues. KT is a top player in terms of both professionality and ability. While his injury issues are so frustrating, we just can’t sell the 25-year-old who is about to enter his fourth season at the club. The onus should be on the club to sign a competent deputy left-back this summer who can fill in for Tierney when his inevitable injury problems do arise. Easy keep.

Defender: Nuno Tavares – Loan

There are not many players in the Arsenal squad who would benefit more from a loan spell than Nuno Tavares. Raw, rash and full of enthusiasm, the Portuguese full-back would gain invaluable experience from a season-long loan and hopefully iron out some of the mistakes in his game.

Defender: Hector Bellerin – Sell

Hector Bellerin ‘has no plans to continue at Arsenal next season’ according to Fabrizio Romano, and after the performances of Takehiro Tomiyasu this season, the club are likely to green-light an exit for the 27-year-old. Hector had a solid season on loan at Betis last season and it is rumoured that he will make a permanent move to the Spanish side if a fee can be agreed with Arsenal. The cockney Spaniard will be missed around the place and we should hopefully receive a decent fee for him.

Defender/Midfielder: Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Sell

Mikel Arteta has never really given Ainsley a run of games in the side, and after his plea for more game-time ahead of the 2021/22 season wasn’t really granted, the 24-year-old was eventually loaned out to Roma in January. However, the Arsenal academy graduate only featured 12 times for the Jose Mourinho’s side and once again found himself spending the majority of his time sitting on the bench. Although his versatility can be seen as an advantage, it can also work against him; AMN is about to turn 25 and we still don’t know what his best/favoured position is. I think it’s time to cash in on the Englishman, who doesn’t seem to be Arteta’s cup of tea, and doesn’t seem to be happy being a squad player.

Midfielder: Thomas Partey – Keep

No need to explain this one. Hopefully this is the season that Partey consistently hits top gear for us and stays injury free. We saw shades of it last season, let’s hope 2022/23 is the Ghanaian’s season.

Midfielder: Granit Xhaka – Sell

Despite coming off the back of his one of better seasons in North London, it’s time for Arsenal to sell the 29-year-old Swiss midfielder. If we’re serious about improving on our 5^th-position finish next season then Granit Xhaka’s position is one that the club should be spending a significant amount of money to upgrade on. Sell and recoup some of the £35M fee we paid for him back in 2016.

Midfielder: Martin Ødegaard – Keep

No explanation needed.

Midfielder: Emile Smith Rowe – Keep

Emile became the first Arsenal player to hit 10 Premier League goals before the age of 22 last season, and well and truly proved that he can hack playing regular first-team football for The Arsenal. He’ll be hoping he can nail down a spot in our starting XI and improve on his direct goal contributions even further in the 22/23 season.

Midfielder: Mohamed Elneny – Keep

Recently signed an extension to continue his role as a back-up midfield option. Adds experience and maturity to our youthful squad and is a valued member of the team on and off the pitch. Keep.

Midfielder: Lucas Torreira – Sell

The only reason this is a sell is because the tenacious Uruguayan midfielder isn’t fancied by Mikel Arteta and doesn’t seem to work in the system that he plays. I still have a soft spot for Torreira. He is hard-working, talented and adds bite to the midfield. I’ll never forget his goal against Spurs in that 4-2 derby win which saw him win his 3^rd MOTM in 4 appearances. Hopefully we can receive a decent fee for him and re-invest the money into another midfielder who Arteta will play next to Partey.

Midfielder: Matteo Guendouzi – Sell

Again, this is only a sell because Arteta doesn’t seem to fancy the player. Despite his well-publicised attitude challenges, I like Matteo Guendouzi a lot. The 23-year-old is positive in possession, has an excellent engine and plays with passion and heart. He’s likely to join Marseille on a permanent deal and hopefully we can get a decent fee for the talented young French international.   

Midfielder: Albert Sambi Lokonga – Keep (*Loan if enough midfield bodies)

Sambi would probably benefit from a loan spell to a side where he would be playing more regularly. However, whether this is an option or not depends largely on whether we have enough bodies in midfield heading into the 2022/23 season. With Partey’s recent injury worries, Xhaka’s susceptibility to suspension and the fact that we will probably be selling a few midfielders in the upcoming window, it’s probably more likely that we keep Sambi around for next season. However, if we have enough numbers, I do think a loan would be the optimal option.

Midfielder: Charlie Patino – Loan

I don’t think a teenage midfielder coming out of Hale End has been raved about more than young Charlie Patino since Jack Wilshere over a decade ago. There’s no doubt about it, Patino would benefit greatly from a loan spell where he features regularly for a side as opposed to making a handful of starts and appearances off the bench for us next season. He’s only 18 and would gain vital experience and get some much-needed senior minutes under his belt. He has more than enough seasons ahead of him to break through into the Arsenal midfield, but next season is one he should be spending on loan.

Forward: Bukayo Saka – Keep

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Forward: Gabriel Martinelli – Keep

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Forward: Reiss Nelson – Sell

Once touted as the next best thing to come out of Hale End, Reiss’ career hasn’t exactly panned out as expected. The 22-year-old has been overtaken in the Arsenal young star rankings by Saka, Martinelli, Ødegaard, Smith Rowe and more, and finds himself far away from the starting XI. The time is probably now to cash in on the youngster who needs to improve on his direct goal contributions and impose his will on games more.

Forward: Eddie Nketiah – Keep

Recently signed a new contract and will be used in the UEL, the cups (especially the Carabao!) and will likely be second or third fiddle to whichever marquee striker we sign in the Premier League.

Forward: Folarin Balogun – Loan

A loan seems like the only option for Balogun in the 2022/23 season, as Arsenal will definitely sign at least one striker this Summer and have recently signed up Eddie Nketiah to a lucrative new deal.

Forward: Nicolas Pepe – Sell

Sadly, the Nicolas Pepe story hasn’t been a fairy-tale one in North London. Arsenal’s most expensive signing ever will go down, probably harshly, as a failure. There’s a lot of talent there and he will probably flourish in a system that suits him better than ours. Hopefully we can salvage a decent portion of the £72M fee that we paid for him back in 2019.

Recap:

Total Players Reviewed: 30

Total Keeps: 16

Total Loans: 4

Total Sells: 10

Let’s reflect on the 2021/22 season and crown the best players and best moments from a uniquely up & down campaign.

Arsenal’s Best Home Game of the Season

This one was a toss-up between our two 3-1 victories against Tottenham and Manchester United. Due to the close rivalry with Spurs, I think our victory in September’s North London derby has to edge it. After a poor start to the season, we started to hit a run of form and continued it in this game by blowing away the Spuds inside the first 35 minutes. The Emirates was bouncing, and our youthful squad were well and truly starting to step up to the plate. Auba even pulled out the iconic Henry knee-slide celebration in front of the visiting away fans after scoring our second. We had bounced back from losing our first three games as well as we could as we made it three wins in a row with this victory. What a day.

Arsenal’s Best Away Game of the Season

We had some impressive away days this season, winning at the likes of Wolves, Leicester and West Ham. However, the clear front-runner and winner of this one has to be our 4-2 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. After three losses in a row to Palace, Brighton and Southampton, it’s fair to say that the majority of the fanbase weren’t expecting much from our trip to West London. At the end of the night, our Hale End boys had run riot and secured a surprise 4-2 victory over the Blues in a 6-goal-thriller which revived our hopes for a top four finish. It was our second win away to Chelsea in as many visits against Thomas Tuchel’s side, and what a night it was.

Arsenal’s Best Player of the Season

In my opinion, this award can only go to one of two players – Bukayo Saka or Martin Ødegaard. If Aaron Ramsdale’s form didn’t dip towards the end of the season, and maybe if Takehiro Tomiyasu was able to stay fit for longer then we may have been looking at a four-way battle, but this season’s award must go to Arsenal’s #7 or #8. Overall, I think our player of the season has to be Bukayo. The 20-year-old ended the season as our top goalscorer with 12 goals across all competitions, and recorded a respectable 7 assists. He bounced back from his personal and professional Euro 2020 heartbreak in style and despite short dips in form, was our best player for the majority of the lengthy season. He scored in big games against Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham, too, and continues to combine his footballing talent with a top work rate and attitude. The star boy’s stock just keeps on rising.

Arsenal’s Best Signing of the Season

Truth be told, this award could’ve gone to any one of Aaron Ramsdale, Takehiro Tomiyasu or Martin Ødegaard. For me though, it has to go to the Ø. Although the Norwegian starlet played for us for last season, that deal was a loan, so the 23-year-old is technically eligible to win this one after we permanently signed him from Real Madrid last summer. Ødegaard truly found his feet in North London this season, and began to consistently display the sort of high-quality performances that earned him a well-publicised transfer to Los Blancos at only 16-years of age. He created the most chances in a season for Arsenal since Mesut Özil back in 2017/18 and established himself as one of the leaders in the team, through both his ability and his attitude. I’m excited to see what he can do with a (hopefully) a top number nine playing in front of him next season.

Arsenal’s Most Improved Player of the Season

Arsenal’s most improved player of the 2021/22 season has to be ESR. The youngster almost trebled his previous best goalscoring season (4 in 2020/21) to hit 11 goals across all competitions in 37 games this season. That’s a very admirable return, especially considering injuries hampered his second half of the campaign. The youngster’s goal against Chelsea in April made him the first player in Arsenal history to hit 10 Premier League goals in a season aged under 22 years old. Although there is room for improvement in terms of imposing his will on games more, and potentially upping his assist numbers, Emile came on leaps and bounds this season and will be hoping he can build on his season even more in the next one.

Arsenal’s Unsung Hero of the Season

I’ll give this one to Gabriel Magalhaes. Arsenal’s Brazilian centre-half quietly went about his business this season and was a constant figure across a backline that kept a respectable 13 PL clean sheets. During his time at the club, Gabriel has been partnered with several CBs of differing abilities, including David Luiz, Pablo Mari, Rob Holding and this season, Ben White. The 24-year-old isn’t one to complain, but one who goes about his business professionally and pragmatically. He rarely made a mistake and added steel and steadiness to an, at times, shaky defence. The former Lille defender also impressively ended the campaign as the top scoring Premier League centre-back with 5 goals in 35 appearances (one more goal than our main striker Alex Lacazette). It’s no surprise that he wasn’t present for our first 3 games of the season which saw us end gameweek 3 bottom of the table with a goal difference of -9. We are a different side with him playing.

Arsenal’s Best Moment of the Season

Lacazette’s 95^th-minute winner against Wolves to complete a dramatic turn-around and send The Emirates into a frenzy has to win this one. Arsenal’s record when going a goal down under Mikel Arteta isn’t an impressive one to say the least, so once the Wanderers went ahead through Hwang’s 10^th-minute opener minute opener, a wave of anxiety was flooded into a packed Emirates Stadium. However, Nicolas’ Pepe came off the bench for his best cameo of the season, scoring a smart equaliser in the 82^nd-minute to set up an intense finale to a must-win game for the Gunners. In minute 94 of the game, Laca played a one-two with Pepe who side-footed the ball back to the Frenchman, who got his feet together to smash a shot at goal, which with the help of a rare Jose Sa mistake, saw the ball nestle into the top left corner as Arsenal completed the come-back for what seemed to be an invaluable 3 points. Lacazette’s celebration encapsulated the sort of raw emotion, passion and relief that the moment elicited out of every Arsenal fan watching, both at The Emirates and at home. At the time, it seemed like an extremely important three points. It’s a shame in the end it didn’t count for more.

Arsenal’s Best Goal of the Season

We scored a few impressive goals this season, both individually and as a team. Ødegaard’s free-kick winner at Turf Moor, Xhaka’s long-range strike at home to United, Gabi’s strike away to Watford etc. all come to mind when trying to assign this award to a goal. However, the pick of the bunch has to be Laca’s goal in our 3-0 victory over Southampton at The Emirates. It’s fitting that another Arsenal Goal of the Season is given to a ‘team goal’, as the club has such a rich history of beautiful football resulting in some of the best goals in Premier League history. The ball started at the back with Ramsdale, who gave it to White, who gave it to Partey, who gave it to Tomi to play a one-two with Øde, who gave it to Saka who crossed it to Laca to smash home. Simple as that. From front to back in about 14 seconds. A move that made football look easy. What a goal. 

Arsenal’s Best Save of the Season

There’s only one winner for this one, and it’s Aaron Ramsdale’s stunning stop of James Maddison’s almost inch-perfect free-kick at the King Power back in October. The Englishman did brilliantly to get an out-stretched left arm to his fellow countryman’s strike, which looked like it was destined for the top corner. He then stopped the follow-up shot from Jonny Evans too, as Thomas Partey blasted the ball as far away from the Arsenal goal as possible. Maddison had even started to run off in celebration. An unbelievable double save.

Arsenal’s Best Loss of the Season

The only answer for this one is our 2-1 home defeat at the hands of the Champions. The game started brilliantly, and we went into the break with a well-deserved 1-0 lead thanks to Bukayo Saka’s first-time strike past Ederson. We had proven in the first 45 minutes that we could go toe-to-toe with the best side in the country, against whom so many sides just set up shop and play for a point against. However, the second half didn’t go to plan, as Gabriel got himself sent off for a second yellow card offence, and Mahrez equalised before Rodri scored a cruel 93^rd-minute winner. Although we lost in pretty sickening fashion, the Emirates was left with a sense of optimism that the young side was improving at a tremendously fast rate. It’s crazy to think that if the Spaniard hadn’t scored in the dying seconds, then Liverpool would’ve been Champions. It’s also crazy to think that we would’ve finished fourth had we managed to hold onto the lead. Fine margins.

Arsenal’s Flop of the Season

There’s only one winner here and it’s Alexandre Lacazette. After Auba’s departure, the side required Arsenal’s only other senior striker to step up and score the goals needed to fire us back into the top four. However, Laca’s finishing was appalling to say the least. He ended the campaign with two goals from open play and didn’t manage to score an open-play goal in 2022. We relied on him, we needed him to step up, we put our faith in him, but in the end, he proved that he just couldn’t do it. For a player who says that he wants to play in the UCL, he didn’t prove that he deserves to play in Europe’s elite competition. It was a miserable final season for a once fan-favourite.

1. Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham

Victories don’t come much sweeter than the ones over our North London rivals. Hale End graduates Saka and Smith Rowe scored and Auba got the other, recreating Thierry Henry’s iconic knee-slide celebration in front of the visiting Tottenham fans. The Emirates was bouncing.

2. Chelsea 2-4 Arsenal

Our second victory at Stamford Bridge in as many visits, but also only our second in over a decade. Nketiah scored a brace with Saka and Smith Rowe again notching the other two goals in a big London derby. The Arsenal youngsters took over West London for the night.

3. Arsenal 3-1 Manchester United

Wins over our former title contending rivals are always welcome. This one came straight after our victory against Chelsea to make it two back-to-back statement wins in our bid for UCL football. Xhaka topped off the win with a long-range screamer – his only goal of the season, and what a strike it was.

4. Norwich City 0-5 Arsenal

Our biggest league win of the season. Goals came from Bukayo (2), KT, Laca and Smith Rowe as we taught the Canaries a lesson on how to play football to raise the confidence of the young squad.

5. Arsenal 2-1 Wolves

There’s not many better ways to win a football game than with a last minute winner at home. Pepe came on and changed the game, scoring and assisting Laca who forced an own goal through Jose Sa in the 94^th minute to have The Emirates bouncing. The UCL dream was still alive.

6. Leicester City 0-2 Arsenal

Our 7^th game unbeaten after the disaster that was the opening three fixtures. We kept a clean sheet and won by a two-goal margin away from home against a Top 8 side. Ramsdale pulled of a save of the season contender vs a Maddison free kick which looked like it was destined for the top corner. A great away day.

7. Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

A comfortable home victory against a very good team with two goals from two of our most promising youngsters – Gabi and Emile. A brilliant night of football at The Emirates Stadium.

8. Leeds United 1-4 Arsenal

The youngsters ran the show again – Saka and Smith Rowe scored but it was the boy from Brazil who stole the headlines with a fantastic brace at Elland Road in a fun game of football. ‘Gabriel Martinelli, everybody should remember that name’ – Jurgen Klopp (January 2022).

9. Arsenal 2-0 Leicester City

A game which Arsenal controlled against the Foxes. Partey and Odegaard ran the midfield for us and controlled the game as we beat Leicester 2-0 once again. A big three points at the time in the run in for top four.

10. Arsenal 3-1 Aston Villa

Partey scored his first goal in red and white, followed by strikes from Auba and ESR to give us a 3-1 win over a feisty Aston Villa side who picked up 5 yellow cards. Smith Rowe was really coming into his own.

11. West Ham 1-2 Arsenal

A game which Arsenal had to win to keep hopes for a top four finish alive. Goals from both centre halves Gabriel Magalhaes and Rob Holding helped us to an important away win at the London Stadium right after our big wins against Chelsea and United.

12. Arsenal 5-1 Everton

A game which in the grand scheme of things meant nothing, but a game which Arsenal turned the style on in, nonetheless. Gabi, Øde, Eddie, Gabriel and Cedric all scored as we thumped Lampard’s Everton to see out the 2021/22 season.

13. Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal proved that they could get a scrappy win at a tough away ground with a side weakened by injuries. Leno came in and kept a big clean sheet as we did the PL double over a club who did it over us last season. Revenge was sweet. And we won an early kick-off fixture for once! Nice.

14. Arsenal 3-0 Southampton

One of Laca’s two open play goals of the Premier League season came in this game, and it was a brilliant one, as he smashed in a powerful finish into the top corner after a sweeping Arsenal move. Quite possibly our goal of the season.

15. Arsenal 1-2 Manchester City

It might be a surprise that a defeat makes the top 15 Arsenal games of the season, but Arsenal proved that they could go toe-to-toe with the Champions. In all honesty, we deserved a lot more from the game which Rodri settled in stoppage time with a cruel and undeserved winner against our 10-men.

16. Watford 2-3 Arsenal

We may have conceded two to the Hornets (one stunner and one very avoidable goal), but the three goals that Arsenal scored were stunning. Our young Guns linked beautifully with Lacazette all afternoon, and Martinelli, Saka & Ødegaard produced 3 excellent finishes to get us the away win.

17. Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle United

A routine home win against the Magpies featuring goals from both wide players Saka and Gabi and assists from both full-backs Tavares and Tomiyasu. A nice clean sheet to go with the three points in a comfortable afternoon in North London.

18. Wolves 0-1 Arsenal

A big away win at the Molineux which was made harder than it had to be thanks to Laca’s wasteful finishing. In the end we held on for a welcome clean sheet and victory against a side chasing the European places.

19. West Brom 0-6 Arsenal (Carabao Cup)

Our biggest win of the season. It came at a much-needed time straight after back-to-back losses to Brentford and Chelsea. Captain Auba notched his second hat-trick in Arsenal colours.

20. Liverpool 0-0 Arsenal (Carabao Cup)

Xhaka let the team down and got himself sent off early on (surprise), but Arsenal’s 10-men stood firm and kept a rare clean sheet at Anfield to take the second-leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals to our place. It’s a shame we couldn’t have put up a better fight in the second leg.

21. Burnley 0-1 Arsenal

Wins at Turf Moor are hard to come by, and Ødegaard’s free kick was the touch of magic that we needed to get over the line and leave Burnley with all three points.

22. Arsenal 5-1 Sunderland (Carabao Cup)

It’s always nice to score 5, and Nketiah scored 3 of them to continue his brilliant Carabao Cup goalscoring record. Youngster Charlie Patino netted his first goal in red & white to round off a great night.

23. Arsenal 2-1 Leeds United

A game which would’ve ranked higher had we not allowed Leeds’ 10-men to pile the pressure on us and almost get a late equaliser in a game that we were comfortably dominating. Eddie scored a first half brace a handful of games after his two strikes at Stamford Bridge as the sun shone down on The Emirates pitch.

24. Arsenal 2-1 Brentford

A pretty standard home win against the best promoted side of the season which should’ve ended with a clean sheet but for a sloppy Norgaard goal in the 93^rd minute. Came in a run of 5 wins in a row.

25. Arsenal 1-0 Norwich City

Our first win of the Premier League season thanks to Captain Auba’s winner. It put a much needed three points on the board after 3 losses in a row. Goal difference wasn’t a concern, it was all about getting the victory.

26. Arsenal 1-0 Watford

Smith Rowe won us the game with a second-half strike which broke the deadlock. In all honesty, it wasn’t the best Arsenal performance, but the win made it 8 games without defeat as we continued to bounce back from the first 3 Ls.

27. Arsenal 2-0 Leeds United (Carabao Cup)

A comfortable home win in the fourth round of the EFL Cup thanks to goals from Calum Chambers and who else in this competition? Eddie Nketiah.

28. Arsenal 3-0 AFC Wimbledon (Carabao Cup)

Wins don’t come more routine than this one, as goals from Lacazette, ESR and again – who else? Eddie Nketiah, gave us victory in the third round of the EFL Cup.

29. Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace

A team that wants to be finishing in the top four should be beating Palace at home, and despite Laca’s last-minute equaliser, this was a disappointing night in N5 against Vieira’s side.

30. Brighton 0-0 Arsenal

Trips to the Amex are never easy (just ask Manchester United), but truth be told we deserved to lose this game and were lucky to take a point back with us to North London.

31. Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool

We got the better of the Reds in the first half and Martinelli was giving Trent all types of problems, but ultimately we folded in the second-half to Jota and Firmino strikes which brought us back down to earth.

32. Arsenal 0-0 Burnley

A game which we just couldn’t find the breakthrough in. Laca missed a golden chance to win us the game but his wasteful finishing came as no surprise at this point in the season. If we had signed a proper striker in January, we would’ve won this game.

33. Manchester United 3-2 Arsenal

A game which we should’ve got more from. Ødegaard was uncharacteristically rash to give away the 70^th-minute penalty which gifted United the game. It was a disappointing night in Manchester against one of the worst United sides of the last few years.

34. Brentford 2-0 Arsenal

Opening day defeat away to Brentford had all of us feeling like it was going to be another LONG season. We conceded twice and displayed the sort of creativity issues which plagued us for all of last season.

35. Nottingham Forest 1-0 Arsenal (FA Cup)

You wouldn’t think we were 14-time champions with the apathetic type of performance that we put up against Forest. Sporting a special white kit to support anti-knife crime in London, Lewis Grabban put the sword in us in the 83^rd-minute to kill our hopes of another FA Cup triumph in just the third round.

36. Arsenal 1-2 Brighton

After losing 3-0 to Palace, we simply had to bounce back by beating Brighton at The Emirates… and that we did the exact opposite of. Trossard and Mwepu’s finishes put a massive dent in our top four aspirations and had us all feeling despondent.

37. Everton 2-1 Arsenal

We lost to Rafa Benitez’s Everton side. That says it all really. Somehow, we went ahead, then squandered the lead and then conceded to a last minute worldie from Demarai Gray. This was the only game that Everton won in a run of 15. It’s mad to think that if we won this game then we would’ve finished fourth. If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.

38. Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool (Carabao Cup)

After managing to leave Anfield without conceding, our 11-men let us down at the Emirates. A win would’ve set up a Carabao Cup Final vs Chelsea, which, I believe we would’ve had a decent chance in. Jota’s brace, one either side of half-time, shattered our dreams of meeting the Blues at Wembley again. 

39. Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea

Chelsea came to The Emirates on match-day 2 and completely outplayed us. Romelu Lukaku scored on his return to the Premier League and Reece James added another to finish us off before half time. The power balance between the two clubs was apparent and the Emirates was left completely flat after back-to-back PL defeats. If you told me after this game that we would’ve finished the campaign only 5 points behind them, I wouldn’t have believed you.

40. Southampton 1-0 Arsenal

After back-to-back losses to Palace and Brighton, surely Arsenal would get back in the win column with a win in Southampton? Wrong. Jan Bednarek’s goal was made it 3 losses in a row for us at a time in the season where we had to pick up points. Ultimately, this is one of the games that we can look back on and feel like it cost us a place in the Champions League.

41. Crystal Palace 3-0 Arsenal

Selhurst Park has been a bogey stadium for Arsenal in the past few years, and it was no different for this visit. This embarrassing defeat reminded me of the 3-0 loss towards the end of Wenger’s reign. A pathetic performance in which we showed next to no fight.

42. Liverpool 4-0 Arsenal

Despite getting into half-time at only 1-0 down, we truly capitulated in the second half and allowed each of Liverpool’s front three to score a trio of soft goals against us. Another trip to Anfield, another humiliating defeat. Not much changed.

43. Manchester City 5-0 Arsenal

This was one of the worst days of the season for me. Although you don’t really expect any sort of result when you travel to The Etihad anymore, you don’t expect to have your pants pulled down and be spanked 5-0 without putting up a fight. Xhaka got himself sent off in another important away game (shock) and our 10-men just couldn’t cope with City’s quality. The defeat left us bottom of the table and marked our worst start to a Premier League season ever.

44. Tottenham 3-0 Arsenal

We headed into this North London derby four points above our direct rivals (both geographically and in the fight for top four) with three games left. Whether we secured fourth place or not was truly in our hands. A draw here would’ve done it, but Rob Holding had other ideas, stupidly getting himself sent off and our 10-men succumbed to the brilliance of Kane and Son. The score-line could’ve been worse, too. A truly awful afternoon.

45. Newcastle United 2-0 Arsenal

We were still a point above Spurs in fourth place with two games to go despite losing to them in the game prior. The mission was clear – go to a Newcastle side on the beach and win, and then beat Everton at home in the final game of the season. Top four would be ours.

With the way we played, you would’ve thought that we were the team on the beach and Newcastle were the side gunning for a Champions League space. The performance at St. James’ Park on this night was truly atrocious and the players should feel embarrassed for spurning our best chance to return to the promise-land of UCL football in over half a decade. A defeat that could set us back another 5 years.

Aaron Ramsdale: 8/10

When Arsenal signed Aaron Ramsdale for around £30M in the summer, just a season after selling academy graduate Emi Martinez for roughly half of the price to Aston Villa, a large portion of the fanbase were displeased to say the least. The Englishman had recently been relegated from the Premier League with Sheffield United and had prior relegations on his record with AFC Bournemouth and Chesterfield, which rival fans were quick to bring up across social media as soon as the club officially announced that Arsenal had acquired his services.

However, the young goalkeeper was quick to dispel the discontent, and quickly made his £30M price tag look like a bargain, coming straight into the first team and keeping 6 clean sheets in his first 10 Premier League games. The 24-year-old Englishman ended the season with a very respectable 12 clean sheets in 34 appearances, and made several world class saves in the process, with the pick of the bunch coming from a James Maddison free-kick at The King Power stadium.

Overall, Ramsdale injected some requisite enthusiasm and excitement into the club at a time where things were completely flat. He was probably our top performer in the first half of the season, making some exceptional saves and showing off his excellent distribution. Having said that, his form did dip noticeably in the second half of the season, and the youngster conceded a string of goals that truth-be-told he should’ve done much better on (see: Jota’s opener in our 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat, Jota’s goal in our 2-0 league loss, Sissoko’s goal in our 3-2 win at Watford etc.).

All in all, it’s still been a great year for the youngster who has proved to have been a shrewd signing by the club and not looked out of place as Arsenal’s number one. If it wasn’t for a slight decline in performance levels, he would’ve got a higher rating and we could’ve been looking at Arsenal’s Player of The Season 2021/22.

Bernd Leno: 6/10

Bernd was between the sticks for the start of the season horror show which saw us sit bottom of the Premier League table after the first three games, conceding nine goals in the process to Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City.

After the arrival of Aaron Ramsdale, who came straight into the side and as aforementioned injected some much-needed vitality into the team, Bernd was reduced to our substitute goalie for the remainder of the season.

When the German shot-stopper was called upon through rest or injury to Rammers, specifically in our league win against Villa and our Cup wins against Leeds and Sunderland, he performed well and showcased his impressive shot-stopping ability.

Bernd gets a 6 for being a dependable squad member who remained professional throughout what looks to have been his final season in North London.  

Kieran Tierney: 7.5/10

On a positive note, the 2021/22 season was another season where KT showed his class and consistency. On the flip side, it was another campaign for him that was hampered by injury and one that saw our best left-back miss large chunks of the season through his continually poor injury record.

Stand out performances from the Scotsman this season came in our 5-0 demolition of Norwich at Carrow Road which he marked with a well-taken goal, and our 3-0 home win against the Saints which he capped with a smart assist. Tierney kept a respectable 11 clean sheets in the 24 Premier League games which he played this season, and we visibly missed his reliability and quality, particularly during the final stretch of the season which saw us surrender 4^th place to rivals Spurs.

Let’s hope our future captain returns as good as new for the start of the 2022/23 season, and that he may be able to go a full season without serious injury. Fingers crossed.

Nuno Tavares: 5/10

While it may be hard to believe now, there was a time this season when Nuno Tavares was the reason that Mikel Arteta was benching a fit Kieran Tierney.

Not lacking in energy or effort levels, the left-back’s enthusiasm and work rate cannot be questioned. However, his defensive frailties and susceptibility to error-making were exposed on multiple occasions, which saw the Portuguese youngster being hooked off at half-time on more than one occasion by the manager this season.

However, time is on Nuno’s side. At only 22 years of age, there is enough time for development and improvement, and part of his defensive shakiness and rashness may be put down to his youth and inexperience. Despite the evident fragilities, the Arsenal left-back has shown enough attacking threat, promise and desire to merit holding onto him for at least another season. He would probably benefit largely from a loan spell in the 2022/23 season. 

Gabriel Magalhaes: 7.5/10

All in all, the 2021/22 season was a great one for Arsenal’s Brazilian defender, who ended the campaign as the highest scoring centre-back in the Premier League with 5 goals.

Gabriel was a staple in the Arsenal defence who kept impressive clean sheets at the likes of Anfield, The King Power, Molineux Stadium and more as the season went on. His strength, consistency and physical prowess means he remained one of the first names on the team sheet throughout the season and formed a sturdy partnership with new boy Ben White. He popped up with important goals when the team needed him and was a strong presence and leader at the heart of our defence.

There’s not too much more to say about the 24-year-old’s season – it was a solid one defensively and a more-than impressive one offensively. I worry that in a season his head might be turned by a side competing for the PL/UCL.

Ben White: 7/10

Before the season started, rival fans were mocking the signing of Ben White for £50M, especially when Manchester United secured the services of 4-time UCL winner Rapha Varane on a free transfer. However, White ends the season with 13 clean sheets in 32 games, compared to 5 clean sheets in 22 games for Varane at Manchester United. Who would’ve thought it?

After a turbulent start to the season along with the rest of the side, White quickly settled into life in North London and began showcasing his technical ability, calm nature and physicality which helped the club to record its most clean sheets in a Premier League season in 4 years.

The ball-playing centre half is a crucial cog in Arteta’s system and his tenacious mentality adds bite and vigour to a side who have been too soft at the back in recent years. There were below par performances and mistakes along the way, like in away games against Brentford, Watford, and of course that own goal at Newcastle, but overall, the 24-year-old Englishman has been one of our most dependable performers.

The partnership formed with Gabriel blossomed as the season progressed and for the first time in years, us Arsenal fans seem to not won’t be worrying about needing a new centre-half heading into the summer window. It feels like we’re in safe hands at the heart of defence, and Ben White is a big part of that, who has successfully silenced a lot of his doubters with the campaign that he’s just had.

Overall, he’s had a solid debut season in red and white.

Rob Holding: 5.5/10

Rob Holding spent the majority of the season on the side-lines, acting as our first-choice back-up centre half who would stand in when Gabriel Magalhaes or Ben White were either injured or rested.

For the most part, the 26-year-old had a good season. He remained professional and when called upon, he performed well and didn’t look out of place in the starting XI. He even bagged his first Premier League goal in a tough away game at the London Stadium to help us to a 2-1 win which, at the time, felt significant in the race for fourth place.

However, and this is a big however…

In the most important game of the season, he let himself and the team when he got himself sent off in the first half of the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium which we detrimentally went on to lose 3-0. The Englishman was reckless and just plain stupid at a time when he needed him to remain calm and show his seniority.

Although Son wasn’t 100% innocent himself and arguably should’ve been sent off for a prior elbow, Holding ultimately lost the dark arts battle with the South Korean and picked up a braindead second yellow card for shoving him in the face off the ball. When you’re already on a yellow card, with VAR is in operation, knowing how important the game is, already at 1-0 down, it’s just simply unforgivable to do what he did.

The Rob Holding of that day seemed to be a completely different man to the one who masterfully won his on and off-the-ball battle with Diego Costa, the king of dark arts, in our 2017 FA Cup Final victory at Wembley. Who knows what would’ve happened had we not gone down to 10 men? Maybe we would’ve got a point, which would’ve seen us finish in the top four above Spurs for the first time in half a decade. For that game alone, which cost us so much, he gets marked down to a 5.5/10. It would’ve probably been a solid 7 without that game, which I want to completely erase from my memory.

Takehiro Tomiyasu: 8/10

Consistent, reliable and talented – Tomiyasu has been one of the signings of the season and needed next to no time to acclimatise to English football. The 23-year-old deserves high praise for how he turned an area of weakness in Arsenal’s squad to an area of strength almost instantly, making the right back spot his own in the process.

The Japan International may have scored even higher had he stayed injury free. He reminds me of Nacho Monreal in how you know what you’re getting with him; you don’t have to worry about his side of defence when you see him on the team sheet. An impressive debut season, let’s hope like KT he can avoid long-term injuries in the next campaign.

Cedric Soares: 5.5/10

Cedric Soares probably featured a little more than we expected this season, standing in at both full-back positions through Tomiyasu and Tierney’s injuries, making over 20 Premier League appearances in the process.

The Portuguese right-back is always committed and hard-working, but at the same time lacks the quality and technical ability to be relied on as a first choice full-back. His defensive capabilities were put in question several times this season, with the likes of Heung-min Son and Jadon Sancho exposing him and getting the better of him in their one-on-one battles this season. His defensive limitations also show through the stats, as Arsenal kept 10 clean sheets in 23 games without him, but only 3 in 15 with the 30-year-old starting.

Thomas Partey: 7.5/10

It’s fair to say that in the 2020/21 season we didn’t see the best of Thomas Partey, who only started 18 games in the league due to struggles with injury and form. However, this season, the Ghanaian has showed the shades of class, strength and athleticism from his Atletico days which saw him earn the title of Arsenal’s most expensive midfield signing of all time.

Not lacking in self-awareness or the ability to critique oneself, Partey came out and rated his performances since signing for the club a ‘4/10’ back in December, and it’s fair to say that since giving that interview to Sky Sports News at the end of last year that the midfielder took his game up a level. He began to dominate his midfield battles, particularly in home games against the likes of Manchester City, Brentford and Leicester City.

Overall, Arsenal fans will be hopeful to see the best of Thomas Partey on a more consistent basis next season, and be anticipative that the 2022/23 season will be a statement one for the talented midfielder who should now be more than settled in North London.

7.5/10 for Partey – he performed well in the second half of the season, but we know that he’s capable of even more.

Granit Xhaka: 6.5/10

Ah, Granit Xhaka – quite possibly the most divisive figure of Arsenal’s Emirates era. It seems like 50% of the fanbase absolutely hate his guts and the other 50% see him as the best midfielder at the club.

Granit’s season started in frustratingly familiar fashion, as he let his teammates down in our 5-0 loss at Manchester City with a stupid challenge which earnt him a red card – a defeat which left Arsenal bottom of the Premier League table with 0 points and a -9-goal difference. However, once he was re-introduced to the side, his form did admittedly pick up and he began to show a bit of consistency in midfield. His seniority seemed to be helping his younger teammates who often turned to him for guidance.

However, whenever Xhaka’s form takes an upturn, it inevitably comes crashing down, and did so when he got himself sent off for another rash last-man challenge in our Carabao Cup semi-final at Anfield. A fitting quote on the Swiss international came a couple of years ago from Gary Neville: ‘he’s an experienced player who plays with no experience’, which seemed to sum up his showing on Merseyside that evening.

Once again though, he bounced back after serving his suspension and seemed to stabilise the midfield and put in a string of solid performances to help us pick up form and temporarily get back into the top four. This was all encapsulated in what has to be the best moment of Granit’s season – his long-range strike against Manchester United to put us 3-1 up and secure all three points, just days after beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to allow us temporarily dream about UCL football again.

Overall, Granit ends the season with 1 goal, 2 assists, 2 red cards, 11 yellow cards and 1 player of the month award. The fact that he’s arguably been our best midfielder this year tells you everything you need to know about where Arsenal need to strengthen in the summer. His tackling and temperament don’t seem to have improved over his half a decade plus at the club, and his post-match interview after our 2-0 loss to Newcastle seemed extremely hypocritical and audacious and was quite frankly insulting to his younger teammates. Xhaka gets an, in my opinion, generous 6.5 for his campaign. He shouldn’t be starting for us next season if we want a place in the Champions League. Simple as that.

Mohamed Elneny: 6.5/10

Arsenal’s first and only Egyptian player ever spent the majority of the season out of the matchday squads or sitting on the bench. However, injuries in the middle of the park opened the door for Mo to start featuring in the final quarter of the season.

Once he came into the side, he performed well and even started making a few more atypical passes forward than Arsenal fans are used to seeing. He was a key part of our late season victories against Chelsea and United, which have earned him a contract extension at the club. You know what you’re getting with Mo, and it’s probably a good thing that he’s sticking around a little longer to add experience and reliability to our youthful squad.

Albert Sambi Lokonga: 5/10

Arsenal’s young Belgian midfielder found himself featuring more regularly than expected at the start of the campaign, debuting in our surprise opening day defeat to Brentford and maintaining his place in the side for our 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea.

While he showed glimpses of promise throughout his run in the side, he lost his place in the midfield (as expected) to more senior players as the season went on and struggled to impose his will on games that he did go onto feature in later on in the season.

He’s still young and was thrown in at the deep end during a difficult period for the club. There’s a lot more to come from him and he’ll get better as he matures and the years go on.

Martin Ødegaard: 8.5/10

The 2021/22 season is one which saw Arsenal’s young Norwegian starlet truly come into his own. Ødegaard began to consistently show off the type of talent and football brain which saw Real Madrid sign him as a 15-year-old who, at the time, was being compared with Lionel Messi. 

The 23-year-old began running games with his slick passing, creative flair and consistently spot-on decision making, establishing himself as an un-droppable name on the Arsenal team sheet. Throughout the season, Ødegaard created 72 chances in the Premier League for his teammates – the most from an Arsenal player since Mesut Özil in 2017/18 (84 chances created), quickly providing the solution to the creation issues which have plagued the Arsenal squad for the last two years.

Further to this, Martin added more goals to his game – netting 7 times in 36 Premier League outings, with a wonderfully casual finish against Everton on the final day of the season which was microcosmic of the way he’s made football look at times this season – absolutely effortless. The sort of consistent quality and reliability that the Norwegian showed this season even earned him the captain’s armband for the final few games of the season.

There are only two parts of Ødegaard’s game that I would like to see improvement on. Firstly, I’d like to see him impose his will and begin to start controlling games more away from home, particularly against the tougher sides. The top midfielders in the world are as effective away from home as they are at home, and I see slight room for improvement in the Ø’s game in those tougher away trips. Secondly, an improvement in direct goal contributions, particularly in the assists department (where he only notched 5 all season) would be a welcome step-up in the Norwegian’s game, and would massively help us in what is set to be an even tougher season next year. Overall, Ødegaard had a brilliant season in red and white and it was a delight to watch him play.

Emile Smith Rowe: 7.5/10

Emile started the season in slow fashion along with the rest of the team, but slowly began to pick up form and became Arsenal’s key man in midfield for game-changing goals. In the second quarter of the season, the England international really came into his own and justified his ‘Croydon De Bruyne’ nickname, netting in 3 games in a row in wins over Aston Villa, Leicester and Watford.

By the half-way point of the season, the 21-year-old had netted 7 times in 19 Premier League appearances for the Gunners. However, due to fitness issues and the form of teammates Martinelli and Ødegaard, ESR struggled for game-time and only managed to net 3 more goals across the second half of the season. His 10-goal return, which he reached with a smart strike in our memorable victory at Stamford Bridge, makes him the first Arsenal player ever to hit double figures in a PL campaign before turning 22.

One criticism I have for ESR is his ability to drift out of games and struggle to get involved in them. Newcastle away springs to mind, a game which he failed to influence and grab a hold of which we needed our attacking players to. If he’s not popping up with a goal, his overall influence on a game can be minute. However, he’s still growing and with time I’m sure this will improve.

If it wasn’t for an underwhelming end to the season, ESR would’ve got a higher rating. Still, it was a great season for the talented youngster, and he’ll be hoping he can nail down a first-team spot and build on it even further next season.

Gabriel Martinelli: 7.5/10

After a disappointing opening two games along with the rest of the side, Gabi found himself out of the side until November, when a goal off the bench against Newcastle earned him a run of starts in the Premier League.

The young Brazilian performed well throughout his run in the side and for the rest of the season, returning a very respectable 6 goals and 6 assists across all competitions and showing glimpses of magic along the way. Stand-out performances from Martinelli came at home to West Ham where he scored an important side-foot opener in Henry-esque fashion, and at Elland Road where he bagged a clinical brace in our 4-1 victory over Leeds.

Of course, who can forget his performance at home to Liverpool? Despite losing the game, Martinelli was our clear stand out performer, showing flashes of brilliance which had Gary Neville comparing him to Robert Pires and Martin Tyler informing the millions watching at home that ‘he’s got some stardust, this young man!’. Jurgen Klopp, who has previously labelled Gabi as ‘a talent of the century’, also praised him after the game, telling the media that ‘the boy Martinelli is such a talented boy!’.

The boy from Brazil will be hoping that he can nail down a place in our starting eleven next season and return even more goals and assists to elevate himself to the next level, which us Arsenal fans know he is more than capable of reaching. At only 20 years old, Gabi has real world class potential and marries that with a world class mentality and work ethic. We’re lucky to have him.

Nicolas Pepe: 5.5/10

It’s pretty hard to give Nicolas Pepe a fair rating this season considering how little he’s played for the club. The Ivorian started just 5 of Arsenal’s 38 Premier League games and had no European football to make appearances in, which he performed so brightly in last year.

Our record signing’s best cameo this season came in our come-from-behind home win vs Wolves in February, which saw him come on to score an important 82^nd minute equaliser and (kind of) provide the assist for Jose Sa’s 95^th minute own goal which sent The Emirates into euphoria.

There’s a lot of talent there, but it’s clear as day that Mikel Arteta just doesn’t fancy him. He’s a flair player who doesn’t suit the Spaniard’s management style or system. I fully expect Arsenal’s top scorer of last season to depart this summer, and I wish him well wherever he goes. It’s lazy journalism to rate him anything lower than a 5 out of 10 and make him out to be the scapegoat of this season.

Bukayo Saka: 8.5/10

After Euro 2020 heartbreak in the Summer, and some shocking online abuse that followed, questions were being asked of how well Bukayo Saka would be able to bounce back heading into the 2021/22 season.

However, it’s more than fair to say that Arsenal’s star-boy had another phenomenal season in red and white. Saka ends the season as Arsenal’s top goalscorer with 12 goals and second-top assister with 7 assists across all competitions. He is also expected to become the first player at the club to win back-to-back Player of The Season awards since Thierry Henry in 2004/05.

Arsenal’s star boy carried the club through difficult moments in the same way that he did last season, demonstrating his dribbling ability, pace, technical quality and eye for goal in the process. The 20-year-old prodigy even added ‘big-game player’ to his list of qualities, scoring important goals against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Manchester City. When the team was struggling for ideas, his teammates would often look for him to execute a driving run forward or produce a moment of magic in the final third to get us out of trouble, and he so often delivered.

Bukayo’s season earned him a nomination for the Premier League Player of The Season Award, making him the first Gunner to make the 6-man shortlist since Alexis Sanchez in the 2016/17 season.

Eddie Nketiah: 7/10

Eddie was given his first Premier League start of the season with just 6 games left in the campaign, playing 90 minutes in our 1-0 loss at Southampton after Lacazette’s weak form offered the young striker the chance to show his worth.

After three miserable losses in a row to Palace, Brighton and Southampton, Arsenal needed to respond with some goals, and Nketiah was able to help with that. The 23-year-old became the first Arsenal player to score more than once in the same game at Stamford Bridge since Robin van Persie’s hat-trick in October 2011, helping us to a memorable 4-2 win against Chelsea. He bagged another impressive brace at home to Leeds a couple of games later and scored again in the final game of the season against Everton. To add to his league goals, he continued his spectacular Carabao Cup form this season with 5 goals in 5 appearances, including an excellent hat-trick at home to Sunderland, taking him to a total of 10 goals for the season.

Although Eddie still lacks the presence and experience that I’d want in an Arsenal striker, he is still young and has proven with his 5 goals in 8 Premier League starts that he can deliver at the top level. The rumours suggest that the youngster’s late season form is set to reward him with a new 6-figure-a-week contract to keep him at the club. While that may be a bit steep, I’m not adverse to the Hale End graduate staying at the club, as long as he is our second or third choice striker, especially with the club set to return to the Europa League. It is imperative that Arsenal sign a top-class striker this summer.

Alexandre Lacazette: 4.5/10

Arsenal’s French forward started the campaign as second-fiddle to close friend Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but was quickly elevated to being the man up top once the Gabonese striker left for Barcelona in January.

At his best this season, Laca was linking with our exciting young Guns extremely well and was acting as a focal point to bring the likes of Saka, Martinelli and Smith Rowe into play more effectively. However, at his worst this season, Laca really struggled to hit the back of the net and be the clinical goalscoring forward that the club needed to get over the line in those crucial moments.

Laca ends this season with only 4 Premier League goals (2 of which were from the penalty spot), making it his worst goalscoring league campaign ever in red and white, and his worst overall since 2012/13. The Frenchman infuriatingly missed several golden chances to either win us games which we were drawing or to put us two goals up in those tight games which we didn’t always have a strong hold of throughout the season. Two of the worst misses which spring to mind came in our extremely disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Burnley and our scrappy 1-0 win away to Wolves. The sort of finishing displayed in those crucial moments may have cost us a place in next season’s Champions League. A clinical striker buries those chances without hesitation.

Although his leadership skills and dedication can’t be questioned, Lacazette’s on-field limitations were exposed this season. Whatever way you look at it, 6 goals across all competitions is unacceptable for an Arsenal striker. Eddie Nketiah (5) outscored Lacazette in the league this season and only really came into the team in the final third of the campaign. Gabriel Magalhaes (5) also outscored the Frenchman, and he’s a centre back. We needed big goals from him, and he didn’t deliver.

I think it’s the right time to thank the 31-year-old striker for his contributions to the club and wish him well. Thanks for the good times, Laca, all the best for wherever you go.

1) No Champions League Football May Affect Recruitment this Summer

The best players in the world want to play in the Champions League and that’s no secret. Whilst the club has several attractive points including its location, history, reputation, European (UEL) status etc., UCL football has a certain pull that when a club goes without it, it limits the profile of player that the club can attract.

Take Dusan Vlahovic for example. Maybe if we were in the Champions League this season then signing him back in January would’ve been more likely. And maybe if we were able to sign a forward of his quality then we would’ve been more likely to have secured a top four finish this year. In another Juventus-based example, journalist Marcello Chirico was reporting recently that Paulo Dybala would be likely to join Arsenal if the club qualify for next season’s Champions League. Furthermore, Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus, who has been heavily linked with a move to North London, may potentially be put off by the fact that Arsenal have spurned their chance at returning to the Champions League next season. For many top players, Champions League football is a deal-breaker.

Having said that, the club do have a decent record of being able to recruit high quality players without being in the UCL. A 28 year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a 27 year-old Thomas Partey and a 22 year-old Martin Ødegaard have all signed for the club during its Champions League hiatus. However, how many more top-quality players the club will be able to sign after another year in in Europe’s second-tier competition remains to be seen.

2) Thursday-Sunday Schedule May Negatively Impact Already Thin & Injury-prone Squad for League

It’s no revelation that the gruelling Thursday-Sunday Europa League schedule takes a toll on a club’s form in their domestic league (see: Arsenal seasons 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21). Having to travel all around Europe to the obscurest of locations, ranging from Razgrad to Cluj-Napoca takes an obvious toll on the players physically and mentally, and returning late in the week with limited time to dedicate to prepare for the weekend’s Premier League opponents is far from ideal for optimal performances and results.

This season showed us how thin our squad is. Injuries to some of our most important players in the likes of Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey severely impacted our league form, and at times we looked unrecognisable without our key men. To put it simply, our current squad struggled to cope with a fairly meek schedule this season, considering we were out of all of the Cups by mid-January and weren’t competing in Europe. The sheer increase in volume of games, travelling, recovery time needed etc. that UEL football will bring next season worries me in terms of how our squad will be able to manage and how this will subsequently impact our Premier League form.

3) Another Year Without UCL Football Affects Identity of The Club

Pre-2017, you could ask any average football fan to tell you about Arsenal as a club and the likelihood is they would probably use the words ‘Champions League’ to describe the level that it was consistently at. The truth is, when you used to think about Arsenal, you used to almost instantly associate it with the Champions League. Between 1998 and 2016, the club competed in 19 consecutive UCL campaigns. Within that run, from 2003 onwards the club impressively made it out of the group stage every single year, coming agonisingly close to full glory in Paris in 2006.

However, since missing out on a place in the Premier League top four to Liverpool by a single point in 2016/17, the club’s identity has slowly begun to change from a consistent Champions League side to a side that keeps falling short and ending up in UEFA’s second-tier European competition. If Spurs don’t fail to beat Norwich on Sunday (please Pukki please), then next season will be Arsenal’s fifth time competing in the Europa League in six seasons. At what point does the general football community start permanently labelling Arsenal as a Europa League outfit and disassociating our historic club from Europe’s elite competition?

4) Top Four Finish Likely to be Even Harder Next Season

As much as it hurts to say, Manchester City and Liverpool are light years ahead of us as clubs, and I realistically give us next to no chance to finish above either of these two world class sides next season. That leaves two spots in the top four to play for.

To put it mildly, Manchester United have been a complete shambles this season, accruing their lowest points total in Premier League history. Erik ten Hag is a competent manager who is likely to be given a generous budget in this summer’s transfer window to add further quality to an already talented team, and will no doubt imprint his own effective playing style on the squad over time. You have to think that they’ll improve on a 6^th-place finish next season.

Antonio Conte has worked his magic on our North London rivals, who are sadly set to pip us to a fourth-place finish in the league this year. The Italian managed to steer Tottenham back into the top four on the back of a dismal few months under Nuno Espirito Santo, and even through enduring several below par results and slip-ups under his guidance. As they reminded us a couple of weeks ago, Kane and Son are world class footballers in their prime, and if the 52 year-old can keep hold of both of Tottenham’s star men whilst adding some more quality in the Summer, there’s no doubt that Spurs will be better next season than they were this season.

Unfortunately, Chelsea finished above us for the 6^th year in a row this season. Our West London foes reached two Cup Finals, losing both on penalties, and were extremely close to reaching another Champions League semi-final. All in all, Thomas Tuchel has done a great job since his appointment in January 2021. Although things are still up in the air with regards to their new ownership, Chelsea are likely to spend big again in the transfer window as they always do, and the Blues are always strong favourites to finish in the Premier League top four. In fact, they will probably be disappointed if they don’t push City or Liverpool a little closer for the Premier League title next season. They will be there or there abouts.

Moreover, the likes of Leicester City, West Ham, Wolves and so on are set to strengthen this Summer and will be pushing for European places again next season, and are no pushovers themselves.

So, to summarise a lengthy point, the standard of sides pushing for a top four finish next season will be much higher. With the rate that sides were slipping up at this season, it almost felt like whoever was the best of a bad bunch would finish fourth. I can’t see that being the case next season. The side that finishes fourth will have to be consistent, resilient and able to capitalise on rivals dropping points. Finishing fourth will be much harder for Arsenal in the 2022/23 season.

5) Young Talents Like Saka More Likely to Leave a Club Without UCL Football at Some Point

This point largely relates to the first one made in this article. The best players in Europe want to play in Europe’s elite competition, and it’s no different for the best young players in Europe. The current Arsenal side is bursting with elite young talent with uncapped potential. The likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Emile Smith Rowe and Martin Ødegaard are just a few of the high-quality youngsters which made the 2021/22 so exciting to watch at times for us Arsenal fans.

The former recently made the 6-man shortlist for both the PFA Player and Young Player of The Season Awards for the 2021/22 Premier League season – a feat that he should be extremely proud of. There is no doubt in my mind that Bukayo is firmly on the radar of the top European teams competing for the Champions League. It’s probably only a matter of time before a bid is tabled for Arsenal’s 20 year-old star-boy, and the longer the club goes without UCL football the harder it will be to keep hold of Saka and his age-mates, who no doubt will want to be able to show off their talents on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in the Champions League..  

Ah, good old St. James’ Park. A stadium that’s given us many memories over the years, both traumatising ones and fond ones.

The most wounding encounter against the Geordies has to be the famous 4-4 draw back in 2011 which saw us squander a 4-0 lead at half-time to eventually draw 4-4 thanks to an 87^th minute Cheick Tiote (RIP) wonder-strike. Us Arsenal fans still haven’t managed to shake that second 45 minutes from our psyche, not even a decade plus later.

On the other hand, one of our most pleasurable memories from up-North came on the final day of the 2012/13 season, where we beat the Magpies 1-0 to secure a place in the top four for another season and finish above our bitter rivals Spurs to mark a thoroughly enjoyable St. Totteringham’s day.

We find ourselves in a strangely similar position 9 years later, almost to the day. We travel to Newcastle this evening needing to win to move back above the Spuds into fourth place, who did their job yesterday afternoon by scraping past Burnley in their penultimate game of the season.

If we win tonight, we’ll be one point above them, with just a single home game against Everton left on Sunday to go. We win that one too, and we return to the promise-land of Champions League football for the first time in over half a decade. There’s no two ways about this, this one is huge. It’s a must win game, and one of, if not the most important Premier League game that the club has been involved in in several years.

In a league with realistically the two best teams in the world in City and Liverpool, the European Champions Chelsea, a United side that signed Ronaldo, Sancho & Varane in the summer, a Spurs side with Kane and Son in their prime and so on… if you offered me to be in the position that we’re in now before the season started – win your final two games of the season against Newcastle and Everton to finish in the top four, then I’d have bitten your hand off.

We’re so close to a return to UCL football we can almost smell it. I just hope that the boys can get the job done tonight and not waste this golden opportunity that we have to return to playing European football on Tuesday and Wednesday nights next season. Let’s get all three points tonight and then we can shift our focus to Everton. We’re two wins away. It’s in our hands. COYG!