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After days of negotiation with Manchester City, the worst-kept secret in football was finally revealed yesterday when Mikel Arteta was announced as the new manager of Arsenal.
It is now three weeks since the Gunners sacked Unai Emery, who was given the mammoth task of replacing Arsene Wenger just 18 months prior. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Emery at the Emirates, having to change the club after it had been built in Wenger’s image for the 22 years of his reign.
Emery was unable to really make the changes he would have wanted, and results never reached a level Arsenal were happy with. In his first season, Arsenal missed out on a top-four spot after a poor run of form towards the end of the season, while they also failed to qualify for the Champions League through the Europa League, losing 4-1 to Chelsea in the final.
He lost his job at the end of November after another poor run of form, as Arsenal fell seven points behind the top four and went seven games without a win in all competitions.
The appointment of Arteta is an exciting one, but it comes with plenty of risk. He has learned from one of the best in the game in Pep Guardiola, and it looks likely he will try to bring a similar style of attacking football to the Emirates.
However, this will be his first managerial role, and there will be an awful lot of pressure on him from day one. He will need to improve the Arsenal squad because this one simply isn’t good enough.
Here are five players Arteta could target to improve his squad.
#1 Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig)
One place where Arsenal certainly need reinforcements is at centre back. It was an area that they struggled with at the back end of Arsene Wenger’s reign and throughout Unai Emery’s time in charge.
One man who has been linked with Arsenal before is RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano, who remains one of Europe’s most highly-rated young defenders.
The 21-year-old would certainly improve the Gunners’ back four in the short term, and he could easily become one of Europe’s top defenders.
#2 Nathan Ake (Bournemouth)
Even if Arsenal bring in Upamecano, one centre-back may still not be enough. David Luiz is still incredibly unreliable, Shkodran Mustafi remains error-prone, while Sokratis Papastathopoulos isn’t getting any younger, and he still isn’t the quality defender that Arsenal really need.
Simply put, the Gunners don’t have the centre-backs capable of taking them into the top four.
One man who could help change that is Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake, who has become one of the Premier League’s best centre-backs in recent years.
The Dutch defender reads the game exceptionally well, and is well-versed with facing some of the Premier League’s top strikers. Arsenal may face competition if they do wish to sign Ake though, with both Chelsea and Manchester City keen on bringing in a centre-back during January, especially one with Premier League experience already under their belt.
#3 Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
One position that Arsenal have desperately needed to strengthen in recent years is central midfield, as they need someone capable of playing in front of the back four. Granit Xhaka tried to fill the void, but never really hit the heights expected of him, and is now a very unpopular figure amongst the Arsenal fans.
Lucas Torreira is capable of doing some of the work required, but his decision making is often rash, and that has cost Arsenal in the past.
One man who could fill this gap is 19-year-old Brescia midfielder Sandro Tonali. Tonali has had two excellent seasons with the Italian side, and is now being linked with some of Europe’s top sides, including the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Even at such a young age, he reads the game very well, and is a fine passer of the ball. He may not come cheap, but he could be a key part of this Arsenal team for a long time.
#4 Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen)
One man who could be leaving Arsenal in either January or the summer is Mesut Ozil. The Arsenal midfielder has divided opinion amongst much of the football world, given his impressive ability, but his apparent lack of desire and effort on the field.
At £350,000-a-week, the German may be a luxury the Gunners can’t afford, and he may find himself out the door soon.
One man Arsenal could look to replace him is a fellow German, Kai Havertz, who is seen as one of the most talented young players in Europe. The 20-year-old is already a key player for Bayer Leverkusen, and has appeared seven times for the German national side.
Havertz scored an impressive 17 goals in the Bundesliga, and has been compared to the likes of Toni Kroos and Michael Ballack. Once again, he may not be the cheapest option, but he is a genuinely superb talent.
#5 Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
This was a saga that went on for much of the summer, and could continue well into the new year. Earlier this year, Crystal Palace held firm on their £80 million asking price for Wilfried Zaha, and were able to hold on to their prized asset, but there is still a lot of interest in the winger.
In the summer, Arsenal signed Nicolas Pepe, but being the only real winger in the squad, the Gunners have struggled to find a system that brings the best out of the 24-year-old, and they have often been left unbalanced in midfield.
One way they could fix this is to bring in another winger and that is where Zaha comes into the equation. The 27-year-old was keen to move to the Emirates this past summer as well, although nothing came of it in the end.
After a difficult spell with Manchester United earlier in his career, this could be a chance for Zaha to prove he can do the business with a top club.
