Whether or not Arsenal can wrestle back control of this season’s Premier League and pip Man City to the title, Mikel Arteta will understand that he has to improve the squad again for the 2023/24 campaign.
Up until recently it appeared that the destination of the title would be the red half of north London, but a wobble at just the wrong time has let in Pep Guardiola’s relentless side, and it’s difficult to imagine that they’ll allow their grip on the trophy to slip now.
Stranger things have happened though.
Even if this season could be said to have been Arsenal’s best chance of winning a first Premier League since 2004, given that City, Newcastle, Man United, Liverpool and Chelsea will all be expected to spend big money in the summer, if Arteta gets things exactly right in terms of recruitment and sales, there’s every reason to believe that the Gunners could themselves still be up there come the business end of next season.
That could well mean a change of tack, however, with The Telegraph going as far as to suggest that Arsenal’s academy graduates may not be considered first choices any longer given their relative lack of progress.
Indeed, they name Reiss Nelson, scorer of the winner in the 3-2 epic against Bournemouth earlier this season, as one who could leave at the end of this season when his contract runs out, and because Arsenal have a confirmed interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s 23-year-old Frenchman, Moussa Diaby.
The winger has already scored 14 goals and provided nine assists in 42 appearances for the Bundesliga side this season per WhoScored, so it’s completely understandable why Arteta would be interested.
The Spaniard has also shown his ruthless side before, and he’s unlikely to blink if he decides that swinging the axe on the club’s young stars is what’s needed to bring future success.