Summer thoughts. Building from the back.. again

There's been a fair bit brewing down at the Emirates recently, so I wanted to share my five cents., even though by the time the post is published some of them might be irrelevant.

Partey arrested

The truly unsettling piece of news released recently was the arrest of Thomas Partey on rape charges. It’s such an unlikely coincidence that the result of a three-year investigation was concluded exactly when Partey was released as an Arsenal player. It doesn’t seem that the club, in the broad understanding of the term, knew about it. But, it's looking more and more like some bigwig, some kind of lawyer at the very top, had a backroom deal with the authorities to slap those charges on Partey after he was out the door. And, perhaps, this very same lawyer might have pulled the strings to ensure Partey's contract wasn't extended.

These charges put some grubby greasy stains on the reputation of the Arsenal football club. My opinion is that while the investigation was ongoing, the most logical option for the club is to continue playing Partey. Being a suspect and actually being a convicted criminal are two entirely different kettles of fish. Suspending a player or ripping up his contract would have left the club wide open to a lawsuit they'd probably have lost. We've seen it before with Mendy at Man City – he was found not guilty in the end, and the way City handled it was clearly unlawful.

The truly baffling part is, knowing this investigation was ongoing and the charges were serious as hell, the club still tried to chat about extending his contract instead of just letting it run down and quietly parting ways, well away from any reputation damage. And given his age and that eye-watering salary, the club wouldn't have had to explain themselves. What's more, they didn't try to shift him in the last transfer window, again, to steer clear of the risk. At the same time, if these charges were common knowledge in the footballing community, it seemed unlikely anyone would touch him with that sort of baggage.

Now, if Partey does end up convicted of these truly horrific charges, Arsenal Football Club will have a seriously dark mark on its reputation, one that'll take years to scrub clean in the public eye. But let's shift gears to something a bit more cheerful, shall we?

Zubimendi announced

Martin Zubimendi was finally announced as an Arsenal player. Interestingly, he has chosen a number 36, despite numbers 3 and 5 being free as a bird. This is a foundational signing - a player who'll be straight into the starting XI at the base of the midfield. A player who would define the speed and patterns of ball movement. 

On one hand, this signing comes with a significant amount of risk. A player who's only ever kicked a ball for one club in his entire career, and a club that's never been in the hunt for the big trophies. A Spanish player, who lived all his life in Spain (and we know how some of them get home sick). A player who's not exactly renowned for his physical prowess – stature and speed, which are absolutely vital for a Premier League midfielder. His main strength is reading the game, and we've no idea how well that'll translate to a faster league. Will those constantly running legs of the opposition be a problem even for a top-class game reader?

Given all these factors, it's a bit of a mystery how long his bedding-in period will be and how successful will he be as an Arsenal player.

On the other hand, if Arteta and the club are genuinely looking to lead the new wave of footballing evolution, if he wants to make the club less predictable and a real surprise for the opposition, then bringing in a completely different kind of player for the base of the midfield is a massive step in that direction. While the mid-table teams (who actually decide where the Premier League title ends up) were busy adjusting their squads and defences to physically dominant, quick lads like Rodri, Rice, and Gravenberch, the arrival of someone with a totally different profile could be that surprising edge our team sorely needs. At the end of the day, Santi Cazorla managed to run rings around opponents purely by using his exquisite technique, so nothing's impossible for Zubimendi either.

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Kepa & Norgaard

Our first announcement of the summer was Kepa, and this is about as sensible a signing as you could ever dream up. A bargain-basement fee for a second-choice goalkeeper with Premier League experience and a decent 24/25 season at Bournemouth under his belt. But, more importantly, we've brought in a second keeper with the same strengths and playing style as the first one. Kepa's a superb passer, who's also often positioned pretty high up the pitch. He might not claim crosses with the hunter's instinct of David Raya, but the defence won't have to completely rip up their routines and instincts when the keepers are swapped. The goalkeeping department is the first one to be well and truly sorted for the season, then.

For precisely the same reasons, it looks like Arsenal are incredibly close to sealing a deal for Christian Norgaard from Brentford. Having this player in the squad makes me far less worried about our #6 spot and Zubimendi's adaptation period. Norgaard is a proven leader who knows the Premier League inside out. I've always had an eye on him in a Brentford shirt, and I'm absolutely convinced he'll be ready to step in and deliver solid 7 out of 10 performances for Arsenal. I really do love it when a good player gets the chance to play for a top club nearer the end of their career. I think they're much more responsible and motivated to give their 110% and seize that one last opportunity to get their hands on a trophy. Especially when they're not expected to carry the entire team on their shoulders. In Arsenal context, the examples that come to mind are Nacho Monreal, Mikel Merino and Santi Cazorla. And none of them have left a bad aftertaste, unlike a certain David Luiz, Willian or even Ozil. Interestingly, Zubimendi might also fit in this category. However, as a starter, he'll be under a far bigger microscope.

I'm really hoping this signing gets over the line, because I honestly don't see a better way, in principle, to plug that back-up gap.

Viktor Gyokeres

The chatter from the football insider circle has everyone convinced Gyokeres is Arsenal's main man up front. Now, I don't know about you lot, but something in my gut just doesn't feel right about it. It feels like a situation, where you have to make a difficult choice (e.g., whether to stay at the old job or switch to the new one or whether to buy a property for the proposed amount) and you don’t really know what option to pick up. And then when the situation gets resolved by itself (e.g. your new job offer is retracted or property is no longer on sale) - you're left with that sinking feeling of regret, realising you actually fancied the other option all along.

That's precisely how I'm feeling, and I've tried to put my finger on why. I think it is because Gyokeres doesn’t feel like an exciting signing. And it doesn’t feel exciting, because we all know his ceiling. He is at his peak, he will not develop any new outrageous quality and his numbers from Portugal are going to seriously drop. He can still have a 20-goal season, but I understand that he will never reach Henry, Aguero, or Rooney numbers. And that is the foundation of my emotions.

I was never exactly jumping for joy over Sesko either. His goal tally in the Bundesliga isn't exactly setting the world alight. Whenever someone bangs on about him being 'the next Haaland', I just have to remind them that Haaland was a goal-scoring machine in the Bundesliga for Dortmund, and even before that at RB Salzburg. He was on a clear upward trajectory; it was only a matter of time before he’d be banging in monster numbers for City. Sesko, on the other hand, has managed a measly 27 goals in two Bundesliga seasons. I also vividly recall that Slovenia-Portugal game at the Euros, where he had a golden opportunity to win it but poorly executed his 1:1 chance instead. I’ve also seen the compilation of the last 80 shots from Sesko and Gyokeres and it’s quite clear that the Swede has a far superior shooting technique and is more likely to create a goal out of nothing, which is what we often lacked last season. But I suppose the glimmer of hope that Sesko's ceiling could actually be much higher was what made me feel a bit better about that potential transfer.

At the same time, I am completely onboard with Arsenal's strategy of not splashing the cash on a player who hasn't proven to be world-class. In fact, I'd even back Arsenal to shift their focus to a powerful, promising, but cheaper alternative, like Samu Aghehowa from Porto, if our primary targets start demanding silly money.

What is positive about Gyokeres is that he looks absolutely gagging to join the club. He is willing to sacrifice a lot to move to Arsenal (including the pay cut, and this could be his last shot at proper silverware. As I touched on earlier, that kind of motivation could be a truly crucial factor.

Eze, Nwaneri and Madueke

Now, onto the last bit of this post, and it's about the most concerning piece of transfer news. But let’s start with Eberechi Eze. Apparently, Arsenal have already shaken hands with the player's camp, but they still need to thrash out a fee with Crystal Palace. Given that this signing isn't plugging a gaping hole in the squad (unlike, say, Zubimendi), negotiations could drag on right into late August.

My personal conviction is that bringing in a player with Eze skillset is far more vital than signing a flash winger like Rodrygo. If all our midfield creativity rests solely on Martin Odegaard's shoulders, then it doesn't matter how many wingers the club buys, because they simply won't be getting the ball in dangerous areas. At the same time, when your midfield has the ability to create plenty of different chances, even a limited winger (or a second striker deployed on the wing) can become dangerous. 

Going into next season with Odegaard as our sole number 10, after he had a poor season, would be shooting ourselves in the foot. It's not just his form that's a worry. Premier League teams have also learned how to minimize threats from him. There's a common misconception that Odegaard was dropping deep to pick up the ball, and now with Zubimendi's arrival, he won't have to anymore. Nonsense. Odegaard was dropping deep because opponents learned how to make him less productive. They'd deploy a defensive midfielder to constantly track him and engage in the kind of physical battles Odegaard simply isn't comfortable with. He's also not keen on receiving the ball between the lines and turning with it. Consequently, he'd voluntarily retreat either deeper or out to the wing to receive the ball in more comfortable circumstances.

In these sorts of situations, having someone like Eze in the team could be a genuine game-changer. You can see below the comparison of non-blocked shot maps from both players and the superior density of Eze’s map – it’s quite telling.

Eze simply paints a positive picture of himself – he speaks exactly like Saka, plays chess, and claims he does surprising things on the pitch to entertain the fans, to get them off their seats. And frankly, I'm absolutely buzzing about him potentially coming to Arsenal.

In tandem with the Eze whispers, there are also very strong rumours swirling about our interest in Chelsea’s Madueke. This looks like a signing Arteta personally is pushing for, because right winger is not a position we primarily need to strengthen. It also looks like a big mistake for the club. I don’t think signing a Chelsea player, whose primary position is RW, for a decent amount is a correct decision. Madueke is wildly inconsistent. One of the perks of playing Fantasy PL is that you track the cold, hard stats of goals and assists from players not in your own team, the ones that you only see occasionally. And I know full well that Madueke is the type of player who can bag a hat-trick in one game and then go missing for the next five in terms of output. I honestly don't believe that's the kind of player who'll elevate Arsenal to the next level. Contrast that with Saka's pre-injury output, which was a goal or assist in almost every game, without the big explosions (like hat-tricks or two goals and an assist) in a single match. That consistent kind of output is what we need from a new player if we're serious about lifting the league title.

The dark side of this story, though, is the link with Ethan Nwaneri. I've said it countless times: Ethan is the ideal right-wing back-up. A homegrown, supremely talented player with a sky-high ceiling who won't demand too many minutes and will be content to sit behind Saka for now (who he clearly respects). And now, with Arsenal yet to tie him down to a new contract, Fabrizio Romano has dropped the following post:

Chelsea, in the last 24 hours have inquired about Ethan Nwaneri’s situation. If there are problems over game time or his contract with Arsenal, Chelsea will be ready to make a proposal. 

Nwaneri & Arsenal, in talks over new deal while player wants game time guaranteed.

This piece of news is about as worrying as it gets. Nwaneri knows he was not treated well by Arteta in the end of the season, the fans (that are not blinded by Arteta’s genius) know it, Ethan’s closest circle knows it. So naturally, now, when discussing a new contract, Ethan and his camp have every right to demand the minutes that are absolutely crucial for his development. He's already made a name for himself in Premier League circles by bagging nine goals for Arsenal last season, so he's going to be in demand. 

After Saka came back from the injury, Ethan barely got any minutes. He only truly featured in two games before the Champions League clashes, when the squad was rotated to give most of the players a bit of a breather. Now, if Arsenal bring in Madueke and Eze, where on earth will Ethan's minutes come from? Madueke, whose preferred position is right-wing, would be demanding to play there whenever Saka isn't on the pitch. And naturally, Eze would take all the minutes that Odegaard is spending on the bench. 

Hence, Ethan's concerns are completely justified. One other option would be to send him out on loan for a year, but is there any realistic expectation of Saka, Odegaard, Eze, and Madueke not being in the squad in 26/27 as well? I wouldn’t bet on it, and neither should Nwaneri. The proper response would be to simply not sign Madueke – he's a risky signing and, quite frankly, not needed in the squad. Transfermarkt also confirms this opinion.

If Nwaneri leaves, it would be an #ArtetaOut for me immediately. Nwaneri is a clear attacking talent, I was never excited about an attacking player that much, since Saka burst into our squad. He’s not just a prospect, who had a sudden burst that is not guaranteed to be repeated. Nwaneri has solid foundation skills that can be used as a platform to build a well-rounded player - he has excellent dribbling abilities, he can protect the ball with his body and he already has a trademark finish, while just turning 18 in March. If Arteta can't spot this kind of talent, or worse, can't polish him into a proper player, then is he really a good coach?  

Arteta hasn't exactly proven himself a patient developer of young guns - all the players that improved under him, jumped to a starter level almost immediately. Not long ago, in the 20/21 season, William Saliba was left completely out of the Europa League squad, while a proven flop Mustafi occupied one of the spots. And now Saliba is one of the best centre backs in the world. The only reason why he is now a part of the Arsenal squad is because his first contract was expiring in 2024 and he became a guaranteed Arsenal starter in August 2022. He would never prolong it in summer 2020 or 2021. 

And I am very worried that it is going to happen again with Ethan this summer. While I'm desperately hoping it won't, I certainly can’t see Eze, Nwaneri and Madueke be part of the Arsenal squad come the second of September. Can you?

If you enjoyed the post, please like or let me know your feedback in the comments. I will be posting thoughts about the overall season over the next few weeks.