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Mediocrity is the term that best describes Arsenal's plight for quite some time now. And this season hasn't been any different. Finishing sixth in the league after having a dismal away record, they went down to the eventual champions Athletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-final as well.
After having an illustrious 22-year reign, the legendary Arsene Wenger stepped down from the managerial position, and the former Seville and PSG coach, Unai Emery has been named as his replacement at the Emirates.
Arsenal is home to some of the best talents in the game and Wenger made some valuable additions this year, to this already existing talent pool.
Many stars like Giroud, Walcott, and Debuchy left the club in search of regular playing time while the club roped in five new players. Some of them have been phenomenal while the rest have flaunted glimpses of their potential.
So, let's evaluate how Arsenal's signings from the 2017-18 campaign have fared.
#5 Konstantinos Mavropanos
After ten glorious years at Borussia Dortmund, Sven Mislintat, one of Europe's most respected player recruitment experts, took charge as the Head of Recruitment at Arsenal and everyone became optimistic about the positive impact that he could bring about at the club. Out of the blue, in the January transfer window, an unknown Greek defender by the name Konstantinos Mavropanos was signed from PAS Giannina, and like always, everyone got frustrated about signing yet another youngster who could barely even make it into the first team.
Was Sven wrong? Absolutely not!
Making just three starts this season, "Dino" certainly has exceeded all expectations. In his Arsenal debut against Manchester United, he took on the big Belgian, Lukaku and left a lasting impact. He also made a strong statement against Burnley but was sent crashing down to reality against Leicester City, after being shown a straight red for pulling Iheanacho down in an unnecessary challenge. Considering Arsenal's defensive woes, Mavropanos may not be the best choice right now. He needs to grab all the opportunities thrown at him and show the world that he can be the club's next defensive enforcer. I'm pretty damn sure that this lad is going to blossom under Emery. Due to lesser minutes on the pitch and due to that rookie mistake, he gets the bottom spot on the list.
#4 Sead Kolasinac
The arrival of Kolasinac from Schalke on a free transfer made the fans optimistic about this season. He has all the natural attributes of a brutish defender who can tear apart any attacking lineup in the world. The club was long craving for such a player, both physically strong and tactically clever, in their squad and he certainly had the best start to his Arsenal career.
Scoring goals, providing sublime assists, everything looked just so perfect for the Bosnian Hulk. But then, one injury later, everything just went downhill. Recurring problems with his left ankle has played spoilsport, and the mighty Bosnian is finding it even more difficult to regain his rhythm.
It has become a curse for Arsenal. We see multiple players in our squad who have the talent to make it big but plagued by injuries, most of their careers take a downward steep.
Kolasinac will be an important player for the team and Emery has a huge task in bringing out the beast inside him. Arsenal conceded 30 times while he was on the team sheet and for a player of his standards, that number is a huge concern. The club, his teammates, the fans, everyone expects more from this guy. 2 goals and 4 assists in 27 appearances, not bad for a defender, but he certainly has the potential to be much much more lethal.
#3 - Alexandre Lacazette
Lacazette has been under Arsenal's radar for quite some time, and in July 2017, he was signed by the Gunners for a record fee from Lyon. He notched up 14 goals in 32 appearances for the club in the PL, this season and I certainly hope he can score even more in the upcoming season. He had a great start, but then, during the midway stage, he had a goal drought and was all over the place. He was also sidelined through injury, but he regained his touch during the later stages of the season - scoring plenty of goals, creating chances, and doing all manner of attack-building necessities.
He was unfortunately left out of the France squad to Russia and will be deeply disappointed and affected by it. He should regain the faith of Deschamps and be incredibly consistent to be one of the first names in Emery's team sheet.
For being Arsenal's leading goalscorer this season, Lacazette occupies the third spot in this list.
#2 - Henrikh Mkhitaryan
It was a busy January for Arsenal. Alexis Sanchez was so desperate to move out, and Manchester United made an offer that the Gunners couldn't refuse. They handed him a hefty paycheck and the unsettled Armenian stalwart, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, packed his bags from United, and he put pen to paper on a long-term deal at Arsenal. Mkhi scored just twice in 11 appearances for the Gunners this season, yet, he finds himself to be at the second spot in this list. Why?
The answer is plain and simple. According to me, Alexis Sanchez was the most important player at Arsenal. He was so instrumental for the Gunners, but, was someone who wanted to do all by himself. He had excellent speed and ball control, but his over ambitiousness to tear apart an entire defensive unit all at once resulted in lost possession which proved decisive in many of the matches. In Mkhi, we found a perfect replacement for Sanchez. He is more of a team player, and his fierce shots and dribbling abilities make him one of the most feared players on the pitch. His creativity clubbed with that of Ozil should do wonders for the club this season. On the other hand, Sanchez has been struggling to find his rhythm at United, where he has received widespread criticism for disrupting the club's rhythmic gameplay.
In short, United's loss is Arsenal's gain.
#1 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Racking up 10 goals in just 13 appearances for the Gunners, Auba has sent out a stern warning to all his fellow compatriots in the Premier League. Arriving from Dortmund in the January transfer window, for a club-record deal worth £56 million, Aubamayeng is Arsenal's main reason to be optimistic for the upcoming season. He just needed six minutes to stamp his mark in an Arsenal shirt. The duo of Mkhi and Auba was prolific at Dortmund, and with their reunion, we have started to witness glimpses of the same here at Arsenal.
The combination of Mkhi-Auba-Laca-Ozil, if utilised properly, should emerge as the best-attacking lineup next season and Arsenal will be a force to reckon with, in the Premier League, as well as in Europe.
