Arsenal need to improve out wideArsenal need to improve out wide
Arsenal need to improve out wide | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal should consider a ruthless decision this summer as they look to set up a title charge.
Arsenal could take a ruthless approach amid reported interest in one of their key players this summer. The Gunners have some big decisions to make this season as they look to finally make the step up to becoming Premier League champions.
It looked as though Mikel Arteta’s men were getting closer and closes to league glory, but they took a big step back in the season just gone, falling way short of the standard set by Liverpool. Pressure will surely be ramped up on Areta next season with the club chiefs likely to expect success on the back of continuous high investment.
Andrea Berta and Arteta will get big money to spend again this summer, and they are going to need it. Arsenal need to add a starting striker and competition in almost every area of the pitch, likely needing to spend big to make all that happen.
On the outgoings front, we already know Jorginho is headed back to Brazil, while Kieran Tierney is going back to Celtic and Thomas Partey is said to be in talks over a new short-term deal. Raheem Sterling will, of course, go back to Chelsea, further reducing the depth out wide, an area Arsenal have struggled with in recent times.
With Leandro Trossard not a high enough standard to genuinely challenge Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, Arsenal need to improve out wide. and a winger signing is expected, but what if they took a very alternative approach?
According to Fichajes, Martinelli finds himself on a four-man shortlist for FC Barcelona as they look to strengthen their own ranks out wide. The natural reaction would be to reject interest at all cost, with the Brazilian wideman showing what he can offer in the back-end of the season, and he is still young, of course.
But if Arsenal were to pocket what would surely be a huge fee well in excess of £50million, they could go and buy Nico Williams for his £48.8m release clause, a move that would get the Gunners a clear upgrade, while Leroy Sané could become available for free. Sané is in contract talks with Bayern Munich, but he has not agreed a deal up to this point, and the Gunners are free to turn his head with a big wage offer even while those conversations are going on.
Arsenal could offload Martinelli and add Williams and Sané without going into arrears, and that would surely be seen as an upgrade to the club’s wing positions. Now, signing Williams and Sané wouldn’t necessarily be straightforward, but they are there to be convinced and that is Andrea Berta’s job this summer.
The Gunners must convince players they are ready for a title charge, and while Martinelli is liked by all at the club, Arteta is going to have to be ruthless to bridge the gap between his side and Liverpool, while Manchester City are expected to rebound in a big way next season, already improving significantly in the second half of the season.
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