Arsenal missed out on yet another top four finish last season. While unfortunate, the Gunners could use it as fuel to bounce back stronger than ever in the 2020/2021 Premier League campaign.
However, for Mikel Arteta’s side to truly make their presence felt in the league next season, the Gunners have to strengthen some key areas of their squad.
Arteta has already done a great job of bolstering Arsenal‘s squad with 22-year-old Brazilian centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes who is expected to partner up with William Saliba in defence. The Spanish tactician has also signed Willian from Chelsea.
That being said, Arsenal still need to make a few signings before they can be considered a viable contender for the Premier League title. In particular, the Gunners need to sign one, if not two new central-midfielders – they’re also in desperate need of an attacking midfielder who can replace Mesut Ozil.
On that note, here’s a look at three players Arsenal could sign to strengthen their weak positions:
Central Midfielder – Thomas Partey
Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi put in questionable performances throughout the course of the 2019/2020 campaign.
While they had some glimpses of form, both players struggled to help Arsenal dictate the proceedings against their opponents, thus, Mikel Arteta would make a move for other midfielders, one of which should be Atletico Madrid‘s Thomas Partey.
Partey has been one of the most consistent midfielders in La Liga over the last few years.
He’s grown into an incredible box-to-box midfielder for Atletico Madrid, often winning tackles and making attacking contributions when an opportunity presents itself.
He would fit in quite nicely at Arsenal and improve the quality of the team’s midfield with his energetic displays. The Gunners would do well to sign Partey if they’re serious about bouncing back from their disappointing 8th-place finish.
Holding Midfielder – Wilfred Ndidi
Wilfred Ndidi was arguably one of the best midfielders in the Premier League last season. The 23-year-old Nigerian won an average of 2.6 aerial duels per game – to put things into perspective, Liverpool‘s Fabinho won an average of 1.5 aerial duels per game.
Considering the likes of Lucas Torreira and Mohamed El Neny are expected to be on their way out of Arsenal, Mikel Artera should make a move for Ndidi.
A potential Partey and Ndidi double-act would give Arsenal‘s midfield the solidity that it has lacked for a very long time. Both players would work alongside each other to provide a ton of defensive cover for Arsenal‘s backline, which would result in a drastic reduction in the amount of goals Arsenal concedes.
Attacking Midfielder – Philippe Coutinho
On his day, Mesut Ozil is one of the best midfielders in the world, however, Ozil is far too inconsistent to be a mainstay at Arsenal under Arteta.
Going into next season, Arteta could look towards Barcelona‘s Philippe Coutinho to feature as Arsenal‘s primary attacking midfielder.
The Gunners need a player who can create something out of nothing, and Coutinho could be that player for Arteta’s side – after all, he led Liverpool to victory on numerous occasions with sheer skill during his time at Anfield.
Coutinho would be an excellent addition to Arsenal‘s ranks, but considering the Gunners’ budget and the Brazilian’s hefty price tag, Arteta would realistically only be able to sign Coutinho on a season-long loan.
Regardless of the type of transfer Coutinho could give Arsenal the creativity they need to launch a viable title bid next season.
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