The tenure of the former Arsenal boss Unai Emery in many ways mirrored the performance of the players brought in during his 18-month stint at the club.
Emery was reunited with former player Denis Suarez whose Arsenal career boiled down to just 6 forgettable experiences. The least said about Stephan Lichsteiner, the better.
David Luiz, Sokratis and Lucas Torreira tried to have a positive effect but their best efforts were often cancelled out by moments of poor judgement or periods of sterile inconsistency.
The statement signing, Nicolas Pepe did more walking than talking and even less scoring or assisting.
However, there were the few a bright spots, Bernd Leno was more or less dependable and young Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli showed flashes of brilliance but altogether it was a group that flattered to deceive at the best of times and was just outstandingly awful at the worst.
Cue, Mikel Arteta. Now in his first full season in charge at the Emirates, he will be looking to use the platform of impressive FA Cup and Community Shield victories to move on to bigger things this season.
A crucial part of that push for silverware will be the new faces Arteta can get through the door at the club and arguably those he can move on to new clubs.
Before the start of the season, the hierarchy at Arsenal changed Mikel Arteta’s job title at the club from head coach to first-team manager. This title was introduced when Arsene Wenger came to the club and was changed with the appointment of Unai Emery and reflected Arteta’s “growing standing at the club”. It effectively means that Arteta will be more involved in the club’s activities including working with technical director Edu, to shape Arsenal’s transfer policy. With that, we can be sure that all the ins and outs at the Emirates will heavily involve Arteta and will give us an idea of the kind of squad he wants to build at the Emirates.
The Covid-19 pandemic severely affected the finances of many clubs in Europe and there were many indications that this summer window was going to be a cautious one with clubs both unable and unwilling to spend large amounts of money in the transfer market.
Arsenal, however, has been proactive this summer signing defenders Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares on permanent deals after their loan spells last season. Soares was acquired on a free transfer with Mari signing from Brazilian club Flamengo for a little over £7million. These two are strategic additions for Arteta who wants to add depth to his squad with the added challenge of a Europa League campaign this season.
With the very colourful career of David Luiz at the Emirates Stadium so far after his switch from Stamford Bridge, many were surprised at another of the arrivals Arsenal over the summer.
Willian made the switch on a free transfer but being on the wrong side of the age divide it was not really clear if this was the right kind of move for Arteta.
The Arsenal manager spoke about his motivations behind making the move for the Brazilian speaking firstly about Willian’s versatility and then his mentality. Arteta believes that as a player who has won multiple trophies Willian can help instil the winning mentality into members of this Arsenal squad.
The exciting young talents that are at the club will also benefit from the experience Willian brings especially Bukayo Saka and Reiss Nelson, who operate mainly in the wide areas.
With that clarification, it is possible to look past Willian’s £100,000 a week basic salary that could rise to £250,000 with bonuses and other incentives, just slightly possible. Willian was very impressive on his debut, providing three assists in an impressive win away at Fulham.
This prompted widespread praise although the Brazilian’s average of 5 assists a season in the Premier League may mean he does not have many more to provide this season that remains to be seen.
The marquee signing for the Gunners at this point though has to be Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhães who is an Arsenal picked up for around £24million from Lille. This particular signing got many fans excited partly because he was brought in from right under the noses of rivals Manchester United and also because he provides a very good partner, in theory at least for William Saliba who returns from a loan move to Saint-Étienne after he was signed by Arsenal under Unai Emery.
A very physical defender who is decent with the ball at his feet but is also able to actually defend, Gabriel is a welcome addition to the Gunners squad and at age 22 the prospect of fixing the problem at centre back for a long time to come is something that Arsenal fans will be looking forward to.
The departure of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez after an amazing end to last season replacing the injured Bernd Leno in goal led Arsenal to make an approach to French club Dijon for Icelandic keeper Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson, who was worth buying for his name alone in my opinion, who will presumably be a deputy to Bernd Leno and provide some competition to the German shot-stopper.
Many fans will hope however that this does not mark the end of Arsenal’s forays into the market and rumours abound linking Atlético Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey and Lyon’s Houssem Aouar with moves to the Emirates.
The quality of those players are not in doubt but with the current financial situation Arteta may have to settle for just one of them and that means a tough decision will have to be made. With his current squad I believe that Partey should be prioritized especially with the club looking to move on Torreira, Guendouzi and Mohammed Elneny there will be a weakness in that part of the midfield.
The presence of a release clause in Partey’s contract which at £47million is cheaper than what Lyon is demanding for Aouar and may take much less negotiation to get over the line.
One thing that seems to run through all these transfers was how highly each player spoke about Mikel Arteta and the vision for the club that he presented to them. This relationship was integral to convincing captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to sign a new contract at the club. That extension feels like a new signing to some fans as Aubameyang has been demonstrating his importance to the club on a consistent basis.
Arteta is working hard to change the culture of the club, the players definitely trust him and are playing for him and with his title change, it is clear that the higher-ups at Arsenal are also onside with his plans.
Regardless of any future signings made, it is clear that Arteta will be the most important piece in the puzzle in the attempt to make Arsenal great again.