Have Arsenal done enough this summer to close the gap on Man City?
|Arsenal have re-established themselves as serious title contenders in the Premier League.
However, after another second-place finish in the 2023/24 season, fans are eager for the club to finally break their 20-year title drought.
Despite the disappointment, there is a fresh wave of optimism within the club and among supporters, with many believing that this could be the year Arsenal finally go all the way.
Arsenal already have a strong squad, but to achieve their lofty ambitions, the general consensus was that manager Mikel Arteta needed to strengthen the team even further.
During the summer transfer window, Arsenal saw the departures of Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, and Aaron Ramsdale, creating space for new talent to come in.
In response to these exits, Arsenal were active in the summer transfer window, although they left it late before signing players who are expected to contribute significantly to the team’s success this season.
Arsenal spent nearly £100 million on new players, hoping these additions would be the final pieces of the puzzle to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title.
However, with Man City’s perfect start to the season, it remains to be seen if Arsenal’s new recruits will be enough to dethrone them at the third time of asking.
The reigning champions are still the favourites to claim the title this season, and their impressive early season form has seen Manchester City tickets become a hot commodity on Seatsnet.com.
Despite flying out of the blocks, Man City will still be looking over their shoulders, with Arsenal determined to push their rivals all the way.
The Arsenal faithful are hopeful that the 2024/25 season will finally see them lift the Premier League trophy again.
The question now is whether the Gunners’ summer business was enough to make that dream a reality.
The Transfer Window
David Raya was the first to come through the gates at the Emirates Stadium.
He initially joined Arsenal on a season-long loan from Brentford but has cemented his spot as the club’s undisputed number-one shot-stopper.
The Spaniard had a shaky start to life at the Emirates but eventually adapted to the Gunners’ brand of football and grew in confidence to establish himself as a reliable presence between the sticks.
He finished the 2023/24 season as the best keeper in the Premier League, keeping 16 clean sheets in 32 league games and was a key player in Arsenal’s second-place finish.
Arsenal recognised Raya’s value and made his loan move permanent this summer for a fee of around £27 million.
The shot-stopper has continued his stellar form into the new season, keeping two clean sheets in his first three matches.
Riccardo Calafiori was the next to join the Gunners, with the club forking out around £45m to sign the Italian defender from Bologna.
The 22-year-old bolstered his reputation as one of the finest young defenders in Europe last season. He is assured and has an imposing presence in defence. He is also adept on the ball and in the air.
Calafiori helped Bologna keep 15 clean sheets in 30 Serie A games last season and will undoubtedly be key to Arsenal’s ambitions this season.
Arteta needed to strengthen his midfield options and went for Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino.
The 28-year-old was a top priority for Arteta, and his addition provides a much-needed boost to the team’s midfield depth and experience.
The former Newcastle United man was also a key player for Spain at the recently concluded European Championship, as La Roja lifted the title in Germany.
His ability to contribute defensively and offensively will undoubtedly be a valuable asset for Arsenal, although fans will have to wait to see their new star in action after he suffered a shoulder injury in training.
Arsenal made a couple more additions to the squad before the deadline with Raheem Sterling joining the club from capital rivals Chelsea.
The England international struggled to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge, but he has the ability to establish himself as a key player for the Gunners this season.
Sterling is familiar with Arteta as the pair worked together at Man City before the Spanish manager took the helm in north London.
The former Liverpool star will add plenty of pace to Arsenal’s attack, and the Gunners will be hoping he can recapture the form that made him one of the elite attackers in the Premier League.
Neto was Arsenal’s final addition to Arteta’s squad. The Brazilian goalkeeper also joined Arsenal on a season-long loan from Bournemouth and will serve as a back-up to Raya.
The 35-year-old brings a wealth of experience to the Emirates after featuring for some of the biggest clubs on the continent, including Juventus and Barcelona.
He joins the Gunners with 104 clean sheets in 323 appearances across all competitions under his belt and should prove to be a reliable back-up for Raya.
Have Arsenal done enough to dethrone Man City?
Despite their significant outlay this summer, Arsenal haven’t done enough to beat Man City to the punch this season.
The Gunners failed to sign a prolific striker and will have to rely on Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus to lead the line, although the former is off to a flying start, notching two goals and an assist in the opening three games.
Nevertheless, it still wouldn’t be enough to close the gap on Man City further, not with Erling Braut Haaland tearing up the Premier League once again.
The Norwegian goalscoring machine already has seven goals in three Premier League games and could easily be the reason why Arsenal falls short yet again.
Merino was a decent addition to the squad, but he’s hardly an upgrade on what Arteta already has at his disposal.
The idea was to improve the quality at the club, but Merino doesn’t check that box. The Gunners would have been better off signing a colossus like Bruno Guimaraes.
A deal for the Newcastle star would have been complicated, but he’s the sort of quality addition that Arsenal needed to take them up a notch this season.
There is also a question mark on Sterling’s addition to the team. He’s coming off the back of an awful campaign with Chelsea, and it remains to be seen if he can recapture his old form at the Emirates.
However, Arteta has reinvigorated Havertz, and he’ll back himself to work his magic on Sterling, too.
We’re only three games into the 2024/25 Premier League season, and Arsenal are already two points behind Man City after their 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Merino and Calafiori have been ruled out for the foreseeable future, which doesn’t bode well for Arsenal’s chances of coming out of a daunting run of fixtures unscathed.
The Gunners face back-to-back games against Tottenham Hotspur and Man City after the international break.
It might still be early days, but dropping points in such high-profile fixtures could hurt their chances of mounting another title bid this season.