So far, Arsenal have a very good starting 11, and a few players who can come in and do a job. However, this is not the case in all positions. Even if we have players in certain positions who can come in, they may not have the qualities to maintain the structure and do the required job. Therefore, Arsenal need to improve their squad depth in this transfer window in order to push on. We will look at Arsenal’s current squad and see where they need strengthening.
Goalkeeper Union
Starting with the goalkeepers, Arsenal have very good options in this position. Aaron Ramsdale has done well since he joined the club, giving the team the balance the manager wants. Matt Turner had a very good World Cup with the United States, proving that he can be a very good backup to Ramsdale. For third choice, youngster Karl Hein is also very composed and should be able to do a job when required.
incoming: none
Defensive Unit
Arsenal have a lot of good options in the defensive unit, with Zinchenko and Tierney both being solid options at left-back, and White and Tomiyasu both being capable of playing right-back. However, the Gunners are light at center-back, with only Gabriel, Saliba, and Holding currently available. While White and Tomiyasu can both fill in at center-back, this would make us light at rightback especially if Cedric leaves the club this window, as has been rumored. Arsenal should consider adding a central defender to add some depth.
incoming: 1 (preferable a centerback)
Midfield Unit
This is a position where we have too many players, but not so many good options. We have three players who can play the defensive midfield role: Partey, Elneny, and Sambi Lokonga. We also have five players who can play the number 8 position: Ødegaard, Xhaka, Fabio Vieira, and Lokonga (although he would not be considered for this role ahead of the others). However, we still lack a little bit of quality in this area.
In my opinion, we need two players of quality to come in, a DM and a number 8. We need one now and another maybe in the summer. For this window, it is important to bring in a quality DM to back up Partey in case he gets injured. Elneny and Lokonga are capable of providing backup, but if Partey is out long-term, they do not have the quality to sustain our structure to the level of Partey.
Smith Rowe is coming back soon, and he, along with Vieira, should be enough to provide cover to Xhaka and Ødegaard.
incoming: 1 (preferable a DM)
Attacking Unit
Lastly, we will look at the attacking unit. I believe that one versatile player who can play on either wing should be enough to add depth and cover to Martinelli and Saka. Nelson and Jesus are coming back soon from injury, and we also have the option of playing Smith Rowe and Vieira wide if required.
However, I also believe that if we want to give this title a proper push, we should bring in two attacking players. For example, we could sign Mudryk and Felix on loan. The difference between us and Man City right now is the fact that they have game-changing depth with quality players sitting on their bench, while we don’t. We can have Nelson, Nketiah, Lokonga, Elneny, etc., but they will not impact the game the way Mudryk, Felix, or even Rice would if they were on our bench.
incoming: 2 (preferable a winger & a versatile center forward)
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