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Last Tuesday, the whole of England watched late into the night as the Three Lions finally came out on top in a penalty shootout. For Arsenal and Colombian international David Ospina, it meant a round of sixteen exit and a return to the world of club football.
The Colombian goalkeeper was one of the last players to return to London from Russia, with many of Arsenal’s players suffering group stage exits. With the Lucas Torreira signing now fully confirmed, this is an appropriate time to see how Arsenal’s new acquisitions will fare.
Many rumours have swirled around about Arsenal’s 50-million-pound budget; a minuscule amount compared to the hundreds of millions being spent right around Europe. Unai Emery has, therefore, had to be very astute and reserved in his spending, despite the many areas that need addressing. The lack of Champions League football also restricts the players available to the Spaniard, as he looks to get Arsenal back into Europe’s elite competition.
Sokratis
With the Greek defender out of contract next summer, a transfer away from Borussia Dortmund was always on the cards. Arsenal were the first to take advantage, in their attempt to address their center-back problems; problems that have needed solving for years and were simply not addressed under Arsene Wenger.
Sokratis offers leadership and stability, with vast experience at both club and international level and really bolstered his reputation and value during his time at Dortmund. In his first season, the Greek center-half was named in the 2013-2014 Bundesliga Team of the Season, although injuries have hampered his progress ever since.
Sokratis has also had to deal with not having a constant centre-back partner and had several different teammates in that position during his time at Dortmund; Neven Subotic, Mats Hummels, Sven Bender and Omer Toprak. Centre-halves need to play together regularly in order to build a sturdy and successful partnership; an opportunity the Greek defender did not have. He might find more joy in London with a consistent centre-back ally, in the form of Shkodran Mustafi or Callum Chambers.
The negotiations for this transfer were done rather quickly, thanks to the arrival of Sven Mislintat; the former head of recruitment for Borussia Dortmund and the man who brought Sokratis from Schalke to BVB. With the Greek international now 30, this could well be the last move he makes in his career and his last chance to win any silverware, after a trophyless five years at Dortmund.
Bernd Leno
The German international joined Arsenal from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of £19 million, as they look to bolster their vulnerable back-line. Although Petr Cech’s longevity and legendary status remain undisputed, he is simply not good enough to carry on in goal for a club of Arsenal’s stature.
At 26, Leno still has the potential to elevate his game at Arsenal but also has the experience needed to follow the great names of David Seaman, Jens Lehmann and Petr Cech, with 233 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen. Leno broke into the German national team in 2015; no mean feat given the competition he had to fend off. This all makes the fee of £19 million quite remarkable, especially given the figures being touted for the likes of Alisson and Jan Oblak, who are of similar age and experience.
The former Leverkusen stopper was also part of the German side that won the 2017 Confederations Cup which will add even more winning experience to the Arsenal side; a team that has won three FA Cups in the last five seasons. His record of 12 clean sheets in 39 appearances is a sight Arsenal fans could get used to, given the defensive calamities they have seen in recent seasons.
However, the fee of £19 million almost seems too good to be true, especially given the rates being charged right across Europe. The German club have even found Leno’s replacement in Eintracht Frankfurt’s Lukas Hradecky and look seemingly unaffected by the sale of their former number one. All this means that Arsenal have either fallen into a trap or pulled off the best deal of the transfer window.
Lucas Torreira
In the round of sixteen stage at this year’s World Cup, Uruguay knocked out Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, as Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani scored two outstanding goals. The former Napoli forward was given the man-of-the-match award and received all the plaudits and the limelight and rightly so. However, the performance of Lucas Torreira did not go unnoticed by Arsenal fans, as they took to Twitter to voice their excitement and approval of the signing.
His energy and ability to regain possession drew parallels with Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante with Gunners’ fans also comparing the Uruguay midfielder to Santi Cazorla, given his diminutive stature and dribbling ability. He made life incredibly difficult for the Portuguese forward line and midfield, blocking many of their attempted crosses and through-balls.
During that match he covered 11.38km and had an 84 percent pass accuracy, making the comparisons between Torreira and Kante a lot more plausible. The Uruguayan also impressed in the quarter-final against Les Bleus, despite the French coming out on top as 2-0 winners.
Torreira played a key role in Sampdoria’s 10th place finish in Serie A, which included a memorable 3-2 win against Juventus in which the Uruguayan midfielder bagged Sampdoria’s second. His ability to play on the biggest stages coupled with the fact he is only 22 make him an absolute no-brainer for Arsenal.
Stephan Lichtsteiner
The last two years have seen a significant change at Juventus, as many of the old guard have started to make way for fresh, new blood. One of those is former Juve right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner, who joined on a free earlier this summer. Lichtsteiner captained Switzerland at the World Cup in Russia and has over 100 caps to his name, making him the fourth most capped player in Swiss history.
His best performance came in the opening game against Brazil, with the right-back tasked with containing Neymar Jr. All in all, his performance was rather impressive, as he limited the PSG winger to only a few opportunities and was also given no protection from Xherdan Shaqiri.
The 34-year-old’s arrival should also aid the development of Hector Bellerin, whose progress has stuttered over the past few years. Bellerin’s poor performances on the pitch and his questionable fashion choices mean that he bears the brunt of anger and resentment shown towards him by Arsenal fans.
The Swiss right-back will almost certainly add a commanding presence to the back-line; something that has been lacking ever since the Invincibles team of the 2003/04 campaign got taken apart.
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