Areas of weakness:
Goalscoring – Last season represented one of Arsenal’s lowest scoring seasons in recent years, netting just 72 goals in the league. Compare that with 74 in 2011/12, 72 in 10/11 and 83 in 09/10, it’s really not good enough for a side who are hoping to climb back to the top of the Premier League tree.
And this is exactly why Arsene Wenger should splash the cash on both Suarez and Higuain. Last season’s top scorer was Theo Walcott with a humble 14 goals – a personal best for him, but not good enough for a 24-year-old who is constantly billed as ‘the next big thing’ in English football.
At just one year older, Higuain bagged 19 in all competitions last term, which was a disappointment for him, but still better what Walcott was able to produce, and the Argentine struggled for games. If given a run in the Arsenal first team next year, and providing the supply line is as strong as ever then the goals will come.
Defensive midfield – Since Song left, Wenger has missed a man in the middle who can complete that midfield three and roam from box-to-box.
Whilst Kondogbia has been the easy link, any one of the excellent defensive midfielders would slot in nicely to Wenger’s 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 hybrid, partnering Jack Wilshere and feeding Santi Cazorla. All they’d have to do is stay fit.
Players like Frimpong and Diaby have fallen where many expected them to soar and now the time has come to make one final gambit to fill that position and be done with it.
Goalkeeper – It’s amazing that Wenger has let this problem go on for so long. Any top side needs a top goalkeeper, and though his insistence on sticking with the likes of Wojciech Szcz?sny, ?ukasz Fabia?ski and Vito Mannone, it’s ultimately backfired as none have been as good as he was hoping.
Szczesny came in for criticism after a number of gaffs saw him lose his place, Fabianski, though good at first, was obviously no long term solution, and Mannone has now left anyway.
Some young goalkeepers are bale to jump straight into a team, but others need a helping hand. Szczesny falls into the latter category, though Wenger sees a future for him at the club, but for the time being he needs a helping hand.
Arsenal have already seemingly missed out on first choice targets Julio Cesar and Victor Valdes, with the Brazilian set to join Italian side Napoli and the latter due to stay put in Catalonia.
A good goalkeeper is a hard thing to find, and not a position that should be filled lightly, Wenger seems to realise this now and will hopefully spend some of that £70 million transfer warchest on someone who can perform the duties ably.