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Which signings should Arsenal make to push them towards the Premier League trophy?
The signing of Swiss international midfielder Granit Xhaka has galvanised the Arsenal fanbase, and with the summer transfer window still in its infancy, which other positions do Arsenal need to strengthen this summer?
Despite all their main rivals faltering this season, Arsenal still found themselves finishing a distant second to the fairy tale season Leicester enjoyed, and needed a dramatic final day turn around to overcome local rivals Tottenham for second.
Now armed with a substantial transfer budget, manager Arsene Wenger and the club must identify which players are worth signing. Rumours fly every summer regarding players potentially moving to North London, but the signing of Xhaka may turn out to be a significant one. Xhaka’s physical playing style is exactly what Arsenal have been missing in their midfield for a long time.
Whilst the emergence of Francois Coquelin tempered this slightly, having Xhaka leaves Arsenal with plenty of options in the holding role ahead of the back four. Xhaka has stood out in the Bundesliga for Borussia Monchengladbach over the past few seasons, and the £30+ million pound fee Arsenal paid clearly shows how much they value his playing style. Switzerland defender and former Arsenal player Johan Djourou has Xhaka with the Italian Andrea Pirlo, arguably one of the best midfielders of the last ten years in world football.
This reflects Xhaka’s talents on the ball also, which again makes him ideally suited to the Arsenal, passing style of play. Whilst he’s garnered a reputation in Germany for picking up yellow cards, his signing will immediately make Arsenal a more imposing side for the coming Premier League season.
So with Arsenal completing their first piece of business remarkably quickly, what other positions need strengthening this summer?
The majority of pundits and fans seem to agree on two clear positions which need improvement if the club wants to seriously compete for the Premier League and Champions League; centre back and striker. The position at the business end of the pitch will be one garnering the most attention, as many question if Frenchman Olivier Giroud can be the consistent goal scorer every successful side needs. Giroud has had another good season with 16 league goals but struggled with consistency, the feature of his game many still question.
With that in mind, Arsenal have been linked with Juventus striker Alvaro Morata for a long time. The former Real Madrid man only scored seven league goals this season, but despite this journalists still continue to link the Spaniard with a move to Arsenal.
Another striker whose been linked with the club for a long time is Napoli Gonzalo Higuaín. He has been linked with the club since he was at Real Madrid, yet signed for Napoli in 2013. The Argentinian international has impressed this season with 36 league goals in 35 games, an incredible stat in a top flight league such as Serie A.
Arsenal would be a club that would be likely to interest Higuaín, whose goals could very well prove crucial for Arsenal should they pursue him. Whilst he would not be cheap, with his scoring record this season it’s clear he’s in the best form of his career. He’s also a high-profile name who could placate the frustrations of Arsenal fans, and with the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez behind him they could form a deadly partnership. Whilst it’s unclear how much interest Arsenal have in Higuaín, they should seriously consider a move for him if they want to be taken seriously as title challengers.
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The other position of need is at centre back, with both Per Mertesacker and Gabriel failing to wholly convince fans as they’ve been unable to perform consistently in the Premier League. Mertesacker has long provided a solid partnership with Frenchman Laurent Koscielny, however, his form dipped at stages last season. The German is famed for his lack of pace, and at age 31 this is only going to become more an issue for Mertesacker, and Arsenal, in the later stages of his career. Yet, he makes up for his lack of pace with his great awareness and positional sense, but, along with the ageing along Koscielny, Arsenal need to look at getting younger at the position.
Brazilian Gabriel has struggled to solidify a starting role since joining from Villarreal in January of 2015. Gabriel has shown potential, but as of yet his failure to hold down a regular starting role must worry both Wenger and the club’s supporters. Going forward, it seems they may need to dip into the transfer market once again if they want to sure up the position going into the new season. The club have already been linked with a , such as Kurt Zouma, Ricardo Rodriguez and Kalidou Koulibaly.
Arsenal have already signaled their intent for the coming season with the signing of Xhaka, but to now really consolidate their standing, the club may need to further strengthen the squad if they want to keep up with their rivals both in England and Europe. Already, the fans are beginning to feel excited about the coming season with the signing of Xhaka, but in reality, the club will need a few further marquee signings to be fighting for the title long past in previous seasons.
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