The Gunners are close to competing on all fronts.
When Jose Mourinho said (via the Independent) the he wasn’t sure as to why Arsenal were not competing at the top of the Premier League with his Chelsea team and Manchester City, many brushed it off as simply tongue in cheek from the Portuguese coach.
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However, once he started to reel off the names in the Arsenal squad the strength in depth is apparent and with that quality all over the pitch, Arsene Wenger really should be looking to deliver a Premier League title soon.
For many years, financial constraints coupled with the lavish spending from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City has meant that a sustained title challenge was never a realistic possibility.
But Arsenal have since moved into a new phase and are able to buy some of the world’s top talent, like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez with Wenger confirming that the spending is set to continue.
Here are three positions Arsenal need to strengthen in, providing that the Gunners keep most of their star player, with targets for each position.
1. Holding Midfielder
Francis Coquelin has been a revelation so far and his addition to the squad was certainly needed, but what happens if he picks up the customary Arsenal hamstring injury? The Gunners would then be back to square one and looking around the squad for a player to do the job adequately realising that they don’t have one. With the futures of Abou Diaby, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini less than secure, Wenger maybe looking to revamp his midfield options.
In terms of targets, talk surrounding Morgan Schneiderlin will not disappear and Geoffrey Kondogbia put in a wonderful performance against Arsenal in the Champions League to remind many of his qualities.
2. Central Defender
Many continuously call for Arsenal to sign a ‘world class’ centre back but fail to acknowledge that many other top clubs have been searching for similar players and haven’t been successful – mainly because they do not exist. That maybe the very reason why PSG were forced to pay £50m for David Luiz, or Man City signing Eliaquim Mangala for £32m, neither of whom are considered as top central defenders. Having said that, Wenger should be looking around Europe given that Per Mertesacker looks to be on his last legs and needs to be replaced in the starting XI. Atletico Madrid’s Miranda is a realistic target given the release clause in his contract.
3. Goalkeeper
It seems as though Arsenal are still looking to replace Jens Lehmann who left in 2008, with the likes of Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski, Vito Mannone and Wojiech Szczesny all taking turns as No.1 but to no avail. Wenger brought in David Ospina who has since displaced Szczesny, but looks more like a competent back-up than bonafide first choice. It would be difficult to see Wenger letting the Colombian go after a year, so any deal for a new ‘keeper may mean the end for Arsenal’s Poland international. With limited targets, it maybe time for the Gunners to exercise their power in the transfer market and take advantage of situation at Chelsea regarding Petr Cech.