When I see discussions as to what midfielder we should buy, a key part of the discussion is often missed.
Arsenal potentially need 2 central midfielder, not 1.
The discussion always surrounds “who should replace Granit Xhaka” but very few talk about Mohamed Elneny leaving us this summer.
The Egyptians contract expires in June; and whilst he has played just 10 games this season, he does need to be replaced.
Our lack of European football this season (and the early exit in the FA Cup) has meant me have not needed to rest and rotate as much as previous seasons – Elneny played 41 times for us in 2020/21 (when we were in Europe).
Edu has done a fantastic job in the last 12 months stripping the squad of those players Mikel Arteta did not want. But with European (and potentially Champions League) football back on the agenda for next season, we need to return to having 2 players for every position.
In midfield, this means we need 4 options.
Elneny leaving results in us having 3 central midfielders – Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Albert Sambi Lokonga. If Xhaka also departs, it leaves us two short.
Some might point to Miguel Azeez and Charlie Patino as options, but realistically they are not ready.
Azeez was OK on loan at Portsmouth in League One prior to Arsenal recalling him. Next season he will reijoin the first team squad on a permanent basis, but should only be considered as 5th in the pecking order.
Patino is clearly a talent, but he was promoted to early when we face Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup. He is still just 18 and is not ready – either physically or mentally – for senior football.
What would make a lot of sense is for Patino to be training week in, week out with our senior boys in the first half of the season; whilst also starting in the League Cup.
A loan deal in the second half of the season would give him the first team football he needs to continue his development.
We also have Ainsley Maitland-Niles returning from Italy. But I think it is time we said goodbye to him permanently in the summer.
The club have turned down a few good offers from Leicester City and Wolves over the last couple of seasons. He turns 25-years-old in August and his value is now plummeting.
He will never make it in the Arsenal first team so we now need to cash in and move on.
The recent quotes from Xhaka indicate that it might not be a forgone conclusion that he departs. If he does not, it will be just one central midfielder added to the squad. But if he is off we need the two.
Xhaka is a defensively minded midfielder, so if he stays we need someone more attacking. Someone like Youri Tielemans who can play central midfield, but also play further forward to provide cover and competition for Martin Odergaard.
If Xhaka departs, we then need to replace him with a like-for-like.
Ruben Neves is the obvious choice, but will be expensive.
If Xhaka does leave, it will be for fairly cheap, so signing an expensive replacement will not make financial sense.
Napoli’s Fabian Ruiz is apparently available for just £16million. He would replicate everything positive that Xhaka brings to a football pitch.
Ruiz as a defensive option, Tielemans as an attacking.
Squad depth is what is needed next year whilst we fight on 4 fronts.
Adding Ruiz and Tielemands at the expense of Xhaka and Elneny will be a huge upgrade.
Keenos
An Arsenal legend from the past and four legends of the future?
If you are now not fully behind the Arteta project, then maybe it is time to get a different hobby?
In 4th place, with games in hand, we must be now favourites to finish top 4.
This who still criticise Arteta (and Edu) do so from their computer screens. They do so due to an agenda.
These people are not Arsenal fans. They hate Arsenal. They need an unsuccessful Arsenal in their life.
Arsenal playing well and winning is the stuff of nightmares for them. It means they do not get the attention they crave whilst they spread their hatred from their mums basement – or a run down apartment in the Spanish equivalent of Great Yarmouth.
Top 4 is now in Arsenal and Arteta’s hands.
Arteta has bombed out the players who were not willing to go to war for him, and the side is looking better for it.
The team morale is at the highest we have seen for years. And fans and players have not been as close for decades.
One reason some do not back Arteta is because he dumped Mesut Ozil. And then Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. But Arsenal are better without the pair.
Sunday’s goal scorers were Martin Odergaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. All 3, alongside Emile Smith Rowe, have grown this season under Arteta.
Whilst his detractors moan that “Arteta can’t develop youth”, the Spaniard has consistently named the youngest XI in the league this year. And his 4 youthful attacking players should now be considered amongst the best young players in Europe.
They cry because Guendouzi was dumped for his poor attitude. The Frenchman has performed well in France, but let’s see how he reacts when the demands of playing at a higher level come calling again.
The other one we keep hearing people mention is William Saliba.
Saliba has benefited hugely from his first full season of top flight football. It is important to remember he does not turn 21 until later this month.
He will have an important role to play next season providing quality cover and competition to both Ben White and Gabriel.
“Arteta hates young players” was always a myth. Building a team of young, hungry players was always a big part of the process.
So we are in the race for top 4. Things have been made easier with no Europe and an early FA Cup exit. But it is time to give Arteta the credit he deserves.
If you are not backing Arteta and the process for the rest of the season, then you are merely showing that you do not desire a successful Arsenal.
Keenos
An Arsenal legend from the past and four legends of the future?
(4-3-3) Aaron Ramsdale: Cédric Soares, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhães, Kieran Tierney; Martin Ødegaard, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka; Bukayo Saka, Alexandre Lacazette, Gabriel Martinelli.
Substitutes: Bernd Leno, Rob Holding, Nicolas Pépé, Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Mohamed Elneny, Eddie Nketiah, Zak Swanson, Omari Hutchinson.
Scorers: Martin Ødegaard (5 mins), Bukayo Saka (30 mins), Gabriel Martinelli (52 mins)
Yellow Cards: Cédric Soares, Eddie Nketiah
Arsenal Possession Percentage: 57%
Referee: Craig Pawson
Assistant Referees: Lee Betts, Richard West
Fourth Official: Simon Hooper
VAR Team at Stockley Park: VAR Darren England; AVAR Eddie Smart
Attendance: 21,142
Looking objectively at the Premiership table, with West Ham United and Manchester United (the two teams directly above us), playing Liverpool and Manchester City respectively this weekend, this match represents a superb chance for us to make our mark on fourth place, regardless of the fact that we also have three games in hand, all of which we need to win, of course. Three wins in a row for us in the Premiership have improved the mood music at the Emirates nowadays after what was truly a difficult start to the season.
Within seventeen seconds of the kick-off, Emmanuel Dennis ran onto a Joao Pedro pass and got the ball into our net, but thankfully, it was disallowed for offside; however, five minutes later, Martin Ødegaard opened the scoring for Arsenal when he slotted the ball past Ben Foster to hit the back of the net after some clever play from Bukayo Saka out on the right wing. The match got even more frenetic when, on the eleventh minute, Cucho Hernandez equalised for the Hornets with a clever acrobatic shot that gave Aaron Ramsdale no chance to keep out. After such excitement so early on in the game, the match started to gain pace and became an end-to-end one from now onwards. Thomas Partey was desperately unlucky not to score our second goal when his long-range shot deceptively twisted around the right hand side of Ben Foster’s post. Both teams are fiercly competitive and look really dangerous when they get in front of goal, and it was looking as if this match was there for the taking should one side or another get the breaks. Aaron Ramsdale made a fabulous save from Emmanuel Dennis, which he could not hold, but somehow managed to claw it away before Joao Pedro ran in to try to score. However, on the half hour, we got back in front when Bukayo Saka took the ball off Tom Cleverley, slotted it to Alexandre Lacazette who back-flicked it into space for Bukayo Saka to put the ball away with some aplomb. The goal certainly inspired us to go on the hunt for more goals, as we started to pass the ball around with confidence, but we had to be very careful though, as the home side were extremely dangerous on the counter-attack. Three minutes before the break, we had a penalty appeal turned down when Cédric Soares took a tumble in the Watford penalty area, but referee Craig Pawson waved for play to continue. In the two minutes injury time, we continued to press the Watford defence but the scoreline remained in our favour when Craig pawson blew his whistle to signify the hiatus.
With much anticipation, we started the second half here at Vicarage Road this afternoon. The home side commenced rather firmly, with the majority of the action being in our half. There was a heart-stopping moment just after the restart as an attempted clearance by Aaron Ramsdale went straight to a Watford player who was quickly neutralised by our men, which could have been extremely awkward, and then, a minute or so later, Ben White accidentally caught Cucho Hernandez with his arm and the Watford player went down clutching his face. After one or two angry words and pointing fingers from the Watford players, Cucho Hernandez carried on. Seven minutes after the restart, Mikel Arteta retrieved the ball after it went out for a throw-in and Bukayo Saka took it quickly, and in an extremely quick thinking moment, Martin Ødegaard and Alexandre Lacazette combined superbly well together to tee-up Gabriel Martinelli to blast the ball into the net from twenty yards, a real cracker of a goal, worthy of a winning goal in a cup final, no doubt about that. Cédric Soares was booked for a silly tackle on Joao Pedro, and when the match resumed, we just appeared to take control of matters. Watford, to be fair, still looked dangerous as they had done most of the match, but when we moved forward, particularly on the counter-attack, we looked positively lethal, with the feeling amongst the travelling fans in the stadium that we could still get yet more goals today. Gabriel Martinelli was replaced by Nicolas Pépé with eighteen minutes of the match remaining, which gave us a fresh pair of legs in order to grab yet more goals this afternoon. Mikel Arteta could be seen encouraging his players to move forward to increase their goal tally. Alexandre Lacazette made way for Eddie Nketiah with eleven minutes left on the clock, and within a minute of his arrival, our subsitute hit the post with a ferocious shot that left Ben Foster grasping for air. With three minutes of the match remaining, Moussa Sissoko twisted, turned and slipped the ball under Aaron Ramsdale to reduce our hard-earned lead to just one goal now. Martin Ødegaard was substituted for Rob Holding during the first minute of five in the injury time period to try and shore things up a little at the back, and suddenly things started to look a little more pressurised for us. Eddie Nketiah was booked for a reckless challenge and after Samuel Kalu’s shot was easily plucked out of the air by Aaron Ramsdale, we managed to hold on to grab the victory, and for the time being, fourth place in the Premiership.
A superb win today, and some great football played by the boys as well. Just how good was Bukayo Saka this afternoon? This young man is growing in stature in every match he plays, and it was also heartening to see how good Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey were in linking up together in midfield, not to mention the off the ball running of Alexandre Lacazette also. All three goals were dazzling pieces of work, and at last there is a feeling of fourth place in the Premiership being a distinct possibility.
Remember everyone, keep the faith, get behind the team and the manager, as this season is going to be crucial for our future success in all competitions. Stick with the winners. Our next match: Leicester City at the Emirates on Sunday, 19th March at 4.30pm (Premier League). Be there, if you can. Victoria Concordia Crescit.
Steve
Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten: Arsenal v Racing Club de Paris 1930-1962 by Steve Ingless (Rangemore Publications, ISBN 978-1-5272-0135-4) is now available on Amazon.
An Arsenal legend from the past and four legends of the future?
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 