The sight of Mikel Arteta with the FA Cup in-hand on Saturday was a symbol of what the Spaniard has achieved in a short space of time as Arsenal boss.
While the north London club are still a long way from where they want to be, there is finally encouragement that they are heading in the right direction again. Improvement, in a number of areas, has been noted.
Arteta is under no illusions as to the importance of this summer, though. He can only do so much with the group of players he currently has at his disposal. An overhaul of the playing squad is required at the Emirates Stadium, although it’s unclear whether Arsenal will have the transfer funds to help Arteta achieve this.
“I don't know. It's a big concern,” the 38-year-old admitted when asked last month if he would be given the money to strengthen his team.
“You need it to build a squad. It's not magic. You need to improve with quality, quality players in the squad and you need bigger squads to compete in this competition. There's the challenge.”
Partey time?
Many look to Arsenal’s defence as the primary area of concern, but Arteta likely sees his need for midfield additions as just as pressing.
His system is based on the principles of hard running and high pressing, all with the ball at the players’ feet, but he is currently lacking players who can carry this out through the centre of the pitch.
When it comes to dribbling, Dani Ceballos is Arsenal’s only midfielder capable of bringing the ball forward, averaging 1.1 dribbles per match. Granit Xhaka averages just 0.8 per match.
This is likely why the Gunners are so interested in Thomas Partey, the Atletico Madrid midfielder who averages 1.8 dribbles per match. He would give Arsenal some much-needed drive through the centre.
Creativity: Pellegrini, Nkunku, Kostic?
Arsenal are also desperate for a creator-in-chief slightly further forward. In terms of key passes per match, Mesut Ozil is still their most prolific player (2.1 per match) and he hasn’t played for the club since March.
While the Gunners have proven themselves as effective when allowed to play their brand of fast and furious football, they need someone who can pick open low defensive blocks from the edge of the box.
Lorenzo Pellegrini would fit the bill, with the 24-year-old averaging 2.4 key passes per match for Roma this season. The Italian international is a high calibre player, so Roma would likely expect a sizeable fee for him, but the Serie A side are interested in keeping Henrik Mkhitaryan permanently after his season there on loan. The Armenian could be used as a makeweight to broker a more affordable deal.
RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku would also solve Arsenal’s creativity problem, with the Frenchman averaging 2.4 key passes per match in the Bundesliga this season. He too would likely command a sizeable transfer fee, so if Arsenal are shopping at a lower level Filip Kostic could work as an option. The Serbian largely plays off the left, but can be deployed in a free role and averaged 2.4 key passes per match for Eintracht Frankfurt this season.
Case for defenders: Look to the Bundesliga
At the back, most focus on the individual errors made by the likes of David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi, but Arteta’s greater need is for someone to act as the first line of possession.
Jonathan Tah would give him this, with the Bayer Leverkusen centre-back averaging an impressive 82.4 passes per game this season.
In contrast, Mustafi is Arsenal’s most prolific centre-back passer with 56.3 passes per match. Dayot Upamecano (70.1 passes per match) would also fit the bill, but the Frenchman has only just signed a new contract at RB Leipzig to end speculation about his future.
There is a sense that Arsenal are on the right path again, with their late season form and FA Cup wins over Chelsea and Manchester City proof of this, but the club must recognise what Arteta needs to keep them on that path.
Without that, the Gunners may never reach their final destination. Arteta’s vision might never be fulfilled.
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