Apologies for the delay, folks. Life has been life-ing a little too hard, so we finally got around to giving you kind of subjective content you crave.
The summer transfer window has officially closed, ending one of the wildest summers in Premier League history. Records were broken, and then broken again. Big names and even bigger wages made headlines, with last season’s top four clubs all going for broke to reload and go again.
It’s a testament to this summer’s transfer window that Arsenal’s massive
haul of eight players was overshadowed by other clubs. But the Gunners’ emphatic summer could very well have set themselves up for an historic season, as needs were addressed and depth was filled.
Now that business has wrapped up, we’ll give our takes on the summer, including overall transfer window grade, signing of the summer, and our player to watch.
Feel free to add your own takes in the comments below!
Signings (all figures taken from Transfermarkt):
- Martin Zubimendi, CDM, signed from Real Sociedad for €70m
- Christian Nørgaard, CDM, signed from Brentford for €11.6m
- Kepa Arrizabalaga, GK, signed from Chelsea for €5.8m
- Cristhian Mosquera, CB, signed from Valencia for €15m
- Noni Madueke, RW, signed from Chelsea for €56m
- Viktor Gyökeres, ST, signed from Sporting CP for €65.8m
- Eberechi Eze, CAM, signed from Crystal Palace for €69.3m
- Piero Hincapie, CB, on loan from Bayer Leverkuesen
Tony
Grade: A
Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta came into the window with a clear plan: fill out the squad with quality depth. Last season fell apart after injuries exposed the paper-thin options on the bench, which ultimately contributed to a flat ending to another season that started with promise.
While other sides opted to shake up their starting rosters, Arsenal have focused on pieces that can rotate in and out of the lineup without a significant drop-off. Arteta’s inability to rotate last season, whether it be a lack of want or a lack of options, created a perfect storm for the wheels to fall off, culminating in the entire starting attack out with hamstring injuries for several months.
The fact that only one of the eight signings – Martin Zubimendi – was signed explicitly to be a nailed-on starter is telling. You could argue that players like Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze fall into that category, but Zubi is the only one signed for an immediate need in the starting XI after the departures of Jorginho and that other guy. Arteta has a tremendous faith in his returning players, for better or for worse, but now has arguably the deepest roster in the Premier League.
Signing of the Summer: Eberechi Eze
I was tempted to dedicate this section to director of football Andrea Berta. He has been a genuine revelation following the departure of Edu and showed that there are true levels to the game behind the scenes.
But I couldn’t give this to anyone by Eberechi Eze. In a summer filled with high-profile signings, his was the one that made the Gunners’ window feel truly special. Not only have Arsenal signed a versatile, PL-proven creative player for the attack, but the nature of his signing was storybook stuff. Spare me the tactico analysis; this is straight, uncut, feel-good vibes. He hasn’t stopped smiling since signing for us, and neither have I.
Player to Watch: Cristhian Mosquera
Mosquera is a massive signing. Quite literally. In his limited cameos, he has stood out as a physical specimen. Beyond that, though, is his seamless integration into the side. Coming on in the 5th minute for an injured Saliba against Liverpool, he didn’t put a foot wrong in a hostile environment with only a few weeks of training with the team. He then repeated that performance against Nottingham Forest over the weekend in his first start. At 21, he is the youngest signing of the window for the Gunners. His best years are still to come, but he already looks like the steal of window.
Aaron
Grade: B+
Andrea Berta didn’t waste any time getting to work, did he? He, Mikel Arteta, and the front office / transfer squad ticked all the “Needs” boxes for the Gunners and got most of the work done early in the window so that the new signings had as much time as possible to settle in. They snatched Eberechi Eze out from under Tottenham’s nose to bring him home to North London, the most perfect piece of theater you could want.
The only thing keeping the window from being an “A” is the outgoings. You’d like to see a bit more cash coming in for the players Arsenal sold (or loaned with an option to buy). I’m not going to entertain the “Arsenal are bad at selling” narrative — it’s silly. Arsenal are not a selling club. I think we’re still seeing the effects of the roster being so thin for so many years. The club had a phase where they needed to terminate a bunch of contracts to sell players. Now, they’re getting small fees in return. When it comes time to shift out some of the quality they brought in this summer (and going forward), hopefully they will start getting meaningful fees.
Signing of the Summer: Martin Zubimendi
The Spanish midfielder is one of the best players in the world at his position but is somehow unheralded and underrated. It might be because he doesn’t particularly stand out on the pitch, but he’s the living, breathing version of “didn’t put a foot wrong.” He isn’t particularly fancy but he does the right thing with and without the ball all the time. Keep an eye on his tempo-setting — metronomes have many different speed settings. He can retain possession and slow the play down if needed, but his first instinct is to push the ball up the pitch.
Zubimendi will be transformative.
Player to Watch: Viktor Gyökeres
Arsenal have “needed” an out-and-out striker for several seasons. The 27-year-old is that guy and Arsenal paid big money to acquire him. The eyes will naturally be on him. The club need him to score 15+ league goals this year and add several more in the Champions League. If he doesn’t reach those marks and Arsenal fall short of silverware, he’s going to bear the brunt of the criticism. He’s a low-touch player so if he’s not scoring goals, he really isn’t doing much of anything on the pitch. So far this season, he didn’t stand out against Manchester United and Liverpool (neither did Hugo Ekitike for the Reds), and he bullied Leeds United. If Gyökeres is a consistent flat-truck bully and helps Arsenal turn some (most?) of those 14 draws from last season into wins, he’ll have been worth it.
Aidan
Grade: B+
It was really an unprecedented transfer window for Arsenal, bringing in nearly an entire XI of players. The big headlines are, of course, Viktor Gyökeres, Eberechi Eze, and Martin Zubimendi, but Arsenal also got a left back (classic), and solid depth across the front line. It’s not an A, though, for two reasons. Firstly, Arsenal cannot sell well. It’s an ongoing issue, and one that is still plaguing the club. Reiss Nelson going on loan on the final day of the window, for me, sums it up: Arsenal should get money for that player.
Secondly, I have some questions about the timing of moves and the plan. I’m delighted by moving for Eberechi Eze, but I’m curious about the reason why. Had Eze not desperately wanted to come to Arsenal, he’d be playing for Tottenham right now. Does he get his move if Havertz isn’t injured? On one hand it does show a level of ambition for Arsenal but on the other hand, there is going to be some adjusting.
Signing of the summer: Eberechi Eze
Everything about this move just feels right, even if the timing doesn’t. It’s a homecoming for Eze, it’s a homecoming for an Arsenal fan, and it’s an emotionally right signing. Everyone can connect with Eze’s announcement video, with his interview with Ian Wright, with stepping out onto the Emirates the day he was signed. More than that, though, is that Eze is an Arsenal player. He’s creative. He does things; he dribbles, he creates, he excites. He is perhaps not a Mikel Arteta player, but he is a connection to other Arsenal teams that perhaps had too many 10s. But this Arsenal team needed another creative player, and Eze is one of the best in the league.
Player to watch: Piero Hincapié
I’m really intrigued by this signing. The way he’s been described as a left back is more like a traditional left back—overlapping, and holding the width, but doing so in a modern style rather than Kieran Tierney’s more traditional style of play. That he can play centre back too is a bonus and it’s a really curious move: is it connected with Eze playing on the left? What does it mean long term for Myles Lewis-Skelly?
