During this season Patrice Evra said something about Arsenal that was viral. “They are like Netflix,” he said. “You always wait for the next season.”
It certainly felt that Arsenal closed their Emirates Stadium campaign season with a 1-0 over Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium. The spot of the Champions League is in the bag, while second place is anything but insured. But again, there is a feeling of that last step – the big trophy.
The last home game of the Gunners of the season started with a few program potities by Arsenal co-chairman Josh Kroenke. “We want to win it all,” he said about the second place in the Premier League in a row.
“We are planning to invest to go behind and do better the next season.
“In the end we all want the same thing. We are just as hungry for success as you and that applies to everyone who works for the club.”
The evening ended with an emotional speech by Mikel Arteta on the Emirates -mixed. “Make sure that haunting a dream does not become blurry and you can see what these players are doing,” he said.
“Take this dream with enthusiasm. There will be a lot more.”
So what time Arsenal happen to their dream?
Need numbers
Much of the focus is on the arrival of a striker that could bring Arsenal to a higher level, but Arteta emphasized the need for figures and quality in his press conference.
He gave Kieran Tierney and Jorginho Final Emirates Run-Outs as replacements against Newcastle. The couple are expected to join Celtic and Flamengo respectively this summer. There is also uncertainty about Thomas Partey, who is also in the last months of his contract.
Partey can get new conditions, but two players who are not retained are Raheem Sterling and Neto, who return to Chelsea and Bournemouth after their loan spells.
Interestingly, however, Arteta described his team as “really short”, even before he called that threatening departure.
“It is clear that we need players because the team is really short, he said.” And moreover, we lose four or five players who even end their contracts and the loans are completed.
“So we have to be sharp and again, very disciplined in what we want to do and ensuring that we are strong in the season.”
Arsenal has only 22 players who are officially mentioned in their team of the first team and that number will fall to 18 with the departure of Tierney, Jorginho, Sterling and Neto.
There are also question marks about others, with Oleksandr Zinchenko, for example, who have fallen out of favor and Takehiro Tomiyasu are absent for injury injury.
There is a need for support, starting in goal, where their only options are outside of David Raya young players such as Tommy Setford.
The defense is probably the best-filled area, but they may need more figures there, especially if Zinchenko Tierney follows through the output door, despite the rise of Myles Lewis-Skelly. A busy summer is ahead for the club's negotiators.
And then it's about quality
Numbers are not the only shortcomings of Arsenal. Like each team, they will try to increase the level of their team. Part of that last step is to get more players they can change in winners.
“It is not easy to find world-class players that they can reach that extra level,” said Gary Neville after the Newcastle game. “But they have to find them, because if they don't, they let the club down, the fans themselves.
“I think it is pretty clear where to strengthen: in midfield and attacks.”
Midfield is a question that is almost answered. Arsenal is close to the replacement of Jorginho by Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.
A aging experience is being replaced by a prime – and it could see that the Gunners bring in a midfielder who is able to guard the defensive side of midfield itself, without the help of a reverse full -back to support.
That would enable the will of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice to get more freedom and authority in attack. But that attack still has to be strengthened.
“The manager must arm with a few really good attackers,” said Neville. “If he gets that, they have a real chance.”
One area is clear – the central forward role. Arsenal scored 88 and 91 goals in the two seasons before this, and are now 67 with one match to play.
The power of a central top of Top class was not only seen on Sunday in the Arsenal team, but also in that of Newcastle. The absence of Alexander Isak showed how Newcastle went from a team intended for the Champions League to a team under the required standard.
Isak can prove to be too expensive or difficult to come from a high -performance, money -loaded club such as Newcastle. But Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko – although more inexperienced – have a serious reputation and target data in Europe and can be the answer.
The other forward position is wide. Arsenal could easily find a player who matches the output of Bukayo Saka on the opposite flank. The Gunners have to make a decision on Leandro Trossard, who will be over for another year on his contract and will start next season as a 31-year-old, while the Loan from Sterling will almost certainly not be renewed.
There is interest in Nico Williams from Athletic Club, who, like Zubimendi, have history to cross the line with Spain at Euro 2024.
“They have a really good playing method, but there is a little spark, penetration, biting that is missing,” said Neville.
That spark can come from the new sports director Andrea Berta, whose appointment a 'win now' mentality of the Gunners is screaming.
Do you remember, Koenke's quotes? “We are planning to invest to go behind and do better the next season.” Kroenke then succeeded it by saying: “We are happy that we have our sports director Andrea, who will play an important role in this.”
Remember what you already have
What was also interesting from Arteta after the Newcastle game was to concentrate on the positives of the season.
Much of the pre -match -talk surrounded the pressure that the Arsenal manager had after five consecutive seasons without trophy -and even that continues. “He has to be in the top two at Christmas or they go for someone else,” said Paul Merson.
But Arteta was Bullish in demonstrating how Arsenal's season could have been very different – in a negative way. “Make sure we still appreciate the incredible things that this team does, the way we compete and the consistency we show,” he said. “If we don't, it is dangerous to do.”
The reason why Arteta believes this is because of the way in which other teams have been deprived of other teams and has led to much more catastrophic seasons than Premier League runners-up and Champions League semi-finalists.
“I know what we have experienced nine and a half months,” said Arteta. “I know what we have done.
“I know very well the history of the Premier League and the teams that have been in 30% of the situations we have been – they collapsed, completely collapsed and we don't have that.”
One of those situations are injuries. Until the season of Arsenal ended effectively in the semi-final loss of Champions League for PSG, the Gunners had 27 injuries to their name. Spurs became second and are now in the 17th. Man Utd was fourth and his 16th.
Arteta said to Sky Sports: “Every other team – and I saw it with one injury to complete the eighth, fifth, 16th, 17th.” He clarified that he also looked at the past seasons, which could explain the fifth and eighth references.
But now it's time for Arteta to turn the apologies or statements, as the Arsenal manager says, to bed next season.
“What you can't have with Arsenal's apologies next season,” said Neville. “Saliba was injured. Gabriel was injured. We know they get injured and they will miss games.
“What they cannot do at the end of these six to seven years with Arteta is a team that has not won. They have to turn it into a team that now wins. It is already intriguing for next season.”
Koenke's Backing Crucial
“That is not something new,” said Arteta when he was asked about Josh Kroenke's promise to invest in his press conference in the team this summer.
“I think they always support the team and the club in the best possible way and it will be no different in the summer.”
The Arsenal -Baas has a strong relationship with the owners of the club and clearly has no doubt about their willingness to support him. Instead, he preferred to concentrate on the importance of doing their business well.
“We have to be very smart with the decisions we make,” he said. “The plan is done and the time will be determined by many parties, many circumstances that we unfortunately do not check.
“But we have great people about that and they will lead that with the board and ownership.
“In addition, we must ensure that the players we feel appreciated and loved. Make sure they want to continue with us in the right way.”
In addition to bringing in new players this summer, Arsenal also has to contract conversations to bind, with important players William Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Magalhaes who enter the last two years of their current deals.
There is also a decision about Gabriel Martinelli, since the winger is in the same situation with his contract, on top of the Trossard situation.