Arsenal's Pre-Season Dilemmas: Four Critical Challenges Awaiting Mikel Arteta's Solutions

Prior to the 2024–25 campaign, Mikel Arteta established ambitious goals for his Arsenal squad. "Our objective is to enhance every aspect," he stated. "Offensive statistics, defensive numbers, restarts, set pieces."

Arsenal experienced deterioration across nearly all statistical categories. Netting fewer goals whilst allowing more, the North London club fell 15 points short of their previous season's total. Arteta's team did, nevertheless, achieve the same second-place finish—an objectively remarkable consistency that rival supporters have delighted in ridiculing.

Should Arsenal wish to end their perpetual runner-up status, several obvious problem areas require attention. What more opportune moment to tackle these challenges than during the preseason period?

1. Which Striker Should Arsenal Buy?

Sporting director Andrea Berta might be spearheading this specific challenge, but Arteta will certainly influence which imperfect target Arsenal overpay for. Does the coach prefer a mostly untested 22-year-old completely unprepared and unfamiliar with anything resembling organized defending, or the soccer equivalent of fool's gold?

There's significant possibility that Benjamin Šeško, RB Leipzig's lanky forward who managed just 11 Bundesliga strikes last season, will find it difficult to reach double figures while adjusting to Premier League football's distinctive challenges. How many of Viktor Gyökeres' 39 Portuguese league goals will translate to English football remains uncertain.

Maybe the genuine inquiry should focus on why recent media reports suggest Arsenal's enthusiasm is waning for Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins—a Premier League-tested striker coming off two exceptional seasons.

2. What Does Martin Odegaard Need to Recover His Form?

Before the complaints about 'OhDearGaard' commence, it's important to contextualize the actual extent of the club captain's regression. The surface-level statistics showing his goal output dropping from 15 in 2022–23 to eight (2023–24) and last season's three completely overlooks the unpredictability of finishing.

When examining the quality of non-penalty attempts Ødegaard has taken during the previous two campaigns, there's only a slight decrease; his xG average of 0.17 per 90 in 2023–24 dropped marginally to 0.16 last term. A comparable pattern emerges when analyzing his chance creation, which experienced only a slightly more noticeable decline.

However, some straightforward and probable changes in circumstances could assist the 26-year-old. Preventing another two-month ankle setback during the season would certainly help, as would not dealing with his first child's birth mid-campaign again.

Additional injuries to Ben White and Bukayo Saka deprived Ødegaard of his two preferred collaborators along the right wing, while there should be an actual striker—instead of Mikel Merino—to supply next season.

3. What is Arsenal's Best Midfield?

While the forward transfer business probably won't conclude before preseason, it seems increasingly probable that Arteta will work with a restructured midfield this summer. With Thomas Partey expected to join Jorginho in departing, the Gunners are nearing agreements for Christian Nørgaard and Martin Zubimendi.

Before evaluating each player on the field, a combination anchored by Zubimendi with Declan Rice and Ødegaard flanking him would presumably represent Arteta's preferred choice.

The Spanish manager would also possess the offensive alternative of positioning Rice in the deeper role and reintroducing Kai Havertz to midfield alongside Ødegaard.

Arteta's hesitation to rotate has been cited as a reason for Arsenal's injury epidemic last season. Nørgaard's anticipated arrival would provide the cautious manager with a seasoned option at the foundation of a reserve midfield that could include Merino and possibly Ethan Nwaneri.

4. Who Will Be the Next Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri?

Arteta allocated a total of 2,264 Premier League minutes to Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly last season. No other top-division team granted more than 700 minutes of league action to players who began the season under 18 years old.

With Nwaneri striving to become more than just a dependable substitute for Saka and Lewis-Skelly potentially being first-choice at left-back, focus shifts to the next emerging talents at Hale End. The name generating excitement is Max Dowman.

The record-breaking 15-year-old already participates regularly in first-team training and is anticipated to receive opportunities to join a Premier League squad based on his preseason displays. Arteta indicated at last season's conclusion that Dowman would be a prospect for the "immediate future." "We'll observe how this develops," the naturally careful manager cautioned, "but we definitely have a significant talent there."