Although they narrowly missed out on a top four place, Arsenal made undeniable progress last season by finishing fifth in the Premier League to secure a return to the European stage after a year away.
Encouragingly, Mikel Arteta’s squad was the youngest in the division, providing hope to supporters that further improvements will be made in 2022-23 and in years to come.
The club has been active on the transfer front this summer, signing Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Marquinhos for over £120m. Alexandre Lacazette, Matteo Guendouzi and Dinos Mavropanos are the most high-profile departures.
The Gunners look to be in decent shape ahead of their season opener against Crystal Palace on Friday 5 August after thrashing Chelsea 4-0 in Florida.
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Positive response to end-of-season disappointment
The failure to hold on to a top four spot cast a gloom over the Emirates Stadium at the end of last season – and the feelings of hurt at missing out on a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2016 will no doubt be rekindled when the competition’s anthem fires up once again. Particularly as rivals Tottenham Hotspur will be mixing it with Europe’s elite.
However, a busy summer in the transfer market and an impressive run of four successive wins in pre-season, including that emphatic win against the Blues, have delivered a much-needed lift to help ease the pain.
Jesus will provide a much-needed cutting edge
The fact Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe – both attacking midfielders – were the only Gunners players to reach double figures for goals in the Premier League tells you all you need to know about the limitations of the side’s attacking options last season.
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With Alexandre Lacazette having moved on, the club acted decisively to bring Gabriel Jesus in a £45 million move from Manchester City and the Brazilian has wasted little time making an impact.
Jesus, 25, took just 90 seconds to score his first goal for the club after appearing as a substitute against Nurnberg while the neat, dinked finish against Chelsea was his fourth goal in as many appearances.
And Zinchenko is likely to be just as influential
Zinchenko followed Jesus in making the move from the Etihad Stadium, completing a £30 million transfer, rising to £32m with add-ons.
Like his team-mate, the Ukraine international is keen for the chance establish himself as a key member of a team having been on the fringes of Pep Guardiola’s City side and was immediately included in the starting line-up against Chelsea.
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The 25-year-old slotted in at left-back but he showed in his country’s meetings with Scotland and Wales this summer that he is more than capable of operating in a central midfield role, boosting manager Mikel Arteta’s options.
More changes to the squad are likely before deadline day
Arteta acknowledged that injuries – Takehiro Tomeyasu and Kieran Tierney are among the players currently sidelined – have highlighted positions in his squad that could be strengthened.
The manager made it clear the club is attempting to address those areas with a wide player among the targets.
The future of Nicolas Pepe remains uncertain with the player stating his desire to stay put while the club have yet to receive an offer that meets their valuation of the winger.
Expectations are growing
Edu, the club’s technical director, this week made it clear ambitions extend beyond securing a top-four finish when he insisted the target was to win a trophy.
A positive start to the season will help generate early momentum and a forgiving schedule – Arteta’s side face just one of last season’s top six in their opening eight games – should help their cause.
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