Arsenal are aiming to embark on their third successive title challenge this season. Mikel Arteta’s side have finished five and two points off champions Manchester City in the past two seasons respectively and entered the current international break two points off Pep Guardiola’s men again.
Their transfer business took longer to conclude compared to previous summers. Raheem Sterling (on loan) from Chelsea and Bournemouth’s Neto arrived as deadline-day signings, while their lengthy pursuit of Mikel Merino was not complete until the final week of the window. Riccardo Calafiori was their early arrival, signing while the team were on their U.S. tour after impressive displays at the European Championship.
The Athletic asked subscribers to respond to a survey featuring seven of the major questions facing Arsenal after this summer. You answered in your thousands, providing us with an insight into the sentiment among a section of the fanbase.
Here are the results, interspersed with some of your thoughts from the comments section and the assessments of our Arsenal writer, Art de Roche.
How happy are you with the window overall?
Of the Arsenal fans who answered the survey, 66.2 per cent were ‘happy’ with the window. It would be fair to assume that number may have been different had the results come in hours before the deadline, with the next highest amount of votes (19 per cent) going to the ‘unsure’ section. Arteta’s squad has not undergone major change, which is a positive. The anticipation is now surrounding how the new additions can propel Arsenal forward.
The Athletic verdict: As ever, context is key. Even if Arsenal’s business was done earlier, they were not going to act in the same way they did in recent summer windows. The windows of 2022 and 2023 required major signings to elevate the squad and those came in the shape of Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Declan Rice.
With the squad not in need of major surgery anymore, this summer was always about adding the right pieces. Arsenal did not need a ‘marquee’ signing as a result but wanted to add the necessary profiles. The recruitment of Sterling on the final day helped achieve that, allowing for relative happiness with the window.
Who was the best signing?
There was almost an even split on this one.
Mikel Merino just about won with 47.9 per cent of the vote, while Calafiori took 42.9 per cent. This makes complete sense as they were Arsenal’s most high-profile permanent signings. The pair might well end up working well in conjunction with each other as Arteta aims to strengthen Arsenal’s left side.
David Raya made up a fraction of the vote, having already had a season on loan at Arsenal last season. Sterling was the third-highest in the vote with 7.6 per cent.
The Athletic verdict: It feels as though the results would not have been this tight had Merino not suffered a shoulder injury in his first training session. Although Calafiori got Europe’s full attention in the summer, Merino represents what Arsenal needed more.
Arteta struggled to make Arsenal’s left flank flow after Granit Xhaka’s departure last season and Merino appeared to be a more natural option as a left-sided No 8 than any of the five players used there last season. The timing of his injury was cruel, but he was not the only new face through the door. Sterling looks like he can offer something different in forward areas.
What area still needs strengthening?
An overwhelming 79.9 per cent of people voted for Arsenal’s attack here.
Despite the side scoring a record 91 league goals last season, there were moments when it felt a more clinical striker could have made a difference. Arteta has continued to speak about his side’s ability to share goals across the front line, with his ambition for his players to simply score more than last season. Midfield was the next highest area for improvement with 17.6 per cent, which speaks to the work Arsenal have done with defensive recruitment.
The Athletic verdict: To keep it simple, I agree. When looking at Arsenal’s signings since Arteta took charge, there has been a clear desire to build a strong defensive foundation.
Attacking signings have been more sparse, but especially considering the ages of Leandro Trossard and Sterling (both turn 30 in December), forward planning in wide areas feels necessary — even if the focus for most is a centre-forward.
Is the team stronger or weaker than before the window opened?
Again, there is a vast majority here, as 83.2 per cent of voters believe Arsenal are stronger than when the window opened. The fact 13.5 per cent believe there has been no change is likely due to the departures that have come alongside the incomings. Emile Smith Rowe, Aaron Ramsdale, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson leaving and Raya, Neto, Calafiori, Merino and Sterling coming in meant Arsenal’s first-team squad grew by just one in numbers after transfers.
The Athletic verdict: Even if the number of bodies is not too different, the calibre of player Arteta can now choose from will likely feel stronger to him. Rather than having players on the bench for the sake of it, Arsenal need players Arteta trusts to make an impact in a title race. Last season, his trust seemed to extend to about 14 players — that number has surely grown after the summer window.
How hopeful are you for the rest of the season now the window is closed?
Most voters (59.2 per cent) have not changed their opinion after the close of the window. This comes after Arsenal took seven points from their opening three games, while Manchester City took nine. Nothing is finished in September, but the reality of Arsenal’s task has been laid bare and given many supporters a sense of perspective ahead of the next eight months.
A third of voters are more hopeful, however. With Arsenal’s transfer business and a slightly more favourable draw in the Champions League, this group are within their rights to feel more optimistic for the season ahead.
The Athletic verdict: Had Merino been available, I would have been more hopeful. With him missing early trips to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, it is hard to be overly optimistic, so I would side with the majority on this one. Arsenal have not been City’s closest competitors for the past two seasons by accident. They should continue to be in the mix, but whether they can actually pip Manchester City over 38 games is another story.
But maybe we should not even be thinking about May right now, so that the 2024-25 campaign can actually be an enjoyable experience.
Did Arsenal sell well this summer?
Arsenal made £76.7million ($100m) in sales excluding add-ons this summer. Should all their add-ons be met, that figure could rise to £97.5m. Five of their six sales were academy graduates, with Ramsdale to Southampton the only exception. Considering Arsenal’s track record of selling in recent years has been sub-par, an improvement was needed.
That sentiment was felt high up within the club and could be seen with incoming transfers only being sanctioned once it was clear a departure would also happen. 93.9 per cent of voters felt Arsenal sold well this summer, with the sales of Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Mika Biereth, Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Charlie Patino also putting the club in a healthy position in regards to profit and sustainability rules in the future.
The Athletic verdict: A summer of sales like this has been overdue. Not just for Arsenal to generate profit, but also for the betterment of the players who have been allowed to depart. There will be a sense of pain with some exits, like Smith Rowe’s, but sporting director Edu explained the situation well on deadline day: “We have to understand we live in the football world, but are also a business,” he told the club website.
“Sometimes we have to sell or buy players to keep the business alive. We made some decisions in terms of which types of players we wanted to sell and how we wanted to sell — which level of price we want to sell at. I think we got what we expected, which is important for us. We did it in the right way, which is also very important for us. When you see players going to clubs where they feel comfortable and happy to go to, you get all the elements to feel like you did the right thing for everyone.”
Is this squad good enough to win the Premier League?
According to 82.7 per cent of voters, Arsenal’s squad is good enough to win the Premier League this season. It’s a fair assessment considering the amount of records last year’s squad broke and set, paired with the survey’s view that Arsenal are in a stronger position than last season. It is perhaps surprising that 17.3 per cent of people do not believe the squad is good enough, but that could come down to the worries surrounding the attack that have been a theme for a number of seasons now.
The Athletic verdict: Arsenal’s squad was good enough to go all the way last season. Finishing just two points behind the champions does not happen if the squad is not good enough, it comes down to being on the wrong side of moments like the home draws against Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, in which goals were gifted away.
A stronger squad would logically suggest this one is just as capable, if not more. Being capable does not guarantee it will happen, however.
(Top photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
