Al right, we are done with one of the worst season; Euro is over and pre-season is running. We played some games with mixed results but no body cares about pre-season.
On transfer front, we saw Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares joining us. Both are smart signings, young and hungry with low transfer costs and wages. They might take some time to develop but we have not been very smart in buying player in their prime (Willian!?). It looks like Ben White would be joining us soon in a fees of 50m. I would have rather expected Saliba to play but if the coach wants a ball playing David Luiz replacement and sees White as a perfect fit, I’m all IN for it.
We have some more developments in transfer window, Xhaka is set to leave and Bellerin move to Inter Milan is a possibility. There are a number of positions that needs an upgrade, if we have to compete for the top 4. A back up keeper is needed, unless Leno decides to extend his stay and we give Okonkwo a good run of games to develop. We would need a right back, though I believe Chambers can cover it if we can’t make it. The most important signing would be for midfield, we would require a Xhaka replacement and an attacking midfield at the least.
We have only 3 weeks left for season to start and Edu and Arteta needs to fasten things up. Any new signing needs time to mix well and adapt to the football Arteta wants him/them to play. Hurry up, guys!
Expections? A Top4 is must!
Lets be frank here. Arteta is in the job for 18 months now. He has a full season under his belt and he is getting a pre-season which he was complaining about last time. He have got some funds to buy players he want, the fans will be back in stadium and this all means TOP 4 IS THE MINIMUM. Qualifying for the champions league should be the minimum target here, we are out of Europa too.
We have had our frustrations with Arteta primarily because of the way he has treated some of the youngsters e.g. Guen, Saliba and Mavro. We have, for a major part of last season, not liked his boring style of play. I don’t want to go into a new season with negativity though. It’s been almost 18 months since Mikel took over from Emery, he will have a proper pre-season and funds to buy the players he wanted and we can hope things gonna be better.
What’s your expectation for the season?
