It will be interesting to see how much Arsenal can improve next season if they get their recruitment right, but it will all come back to building a solid base at the back.
Bernd Leno may drop the odd clanger but he’s a very good goalkeeper and Kieran Tierney is excellent so that’s a good starting point.
There are some talented centre backs at the club but it still looks like they need an undisputed leader with the experience to organise it all, while the return of William Saliba could also be interesting if he’s ready to step up.
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Hector Bellerin looks like he may leave this summer and while Cedric is a solid player, he’s not a starting full-back for a team that have ambitions to return to the top four.
Inter Milan star Achraf Hakimi has been linked in recent weeks and he would be a clear upgrade in that spot due to his quality and pace to get up and down the wing, but that potential move has been ruled out by Fabrizio Romano:
Achraf Hakimi makes it clear. He wants to stay at Inter – despite rumours about Bayern and Arsenal, he’s not planning to leave the club this summer. ??? #Hakimi #transfers [? @dazn_it] pic.twitter.com/gSN6D9VlF9
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 23, 2021
Inter won Serie A this season so it makes sense for him to stay and have a proper crack at the Champions League with them, while you also have to think he could end up costing £40m+ and Arsenal need to spread their budget around several areas this summer.
It’s still expected that at least one new right-back will arrive if Bellerin goes, but Hakimi is unlikely.