Before the summer started, a 10 point to do list for Andrea Berta was posted on the She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Facebook page (credit to admin Derek for the list).
The list, in no particular order, was
New first-choice centre forward
New defensive midfielder to replace Thomas Partey
New backup goalkeeper
New winger to compete on the left and offer cover for Bukayo Saka on the right
New centre back to cover William Saliba
New deal for Bukayo Saka
New deal for William Saliba
New deal for Gabriel
New deal for Ethan Nwaneri
New deal for Myles Lewis Skelly
With the window now shut, it is time to review the list.
New first-choice centre forward
In a deal that seemed to take forever, but was still be completed before the season kicked off, Viktor Gyokeres joined for £55m.
Some have labelled Gyokeres a flat track bully whilst others have raised questions about whether the 27 year old can make the step up from the Portuguese league to Premier League. And some have claimed that we should have sacrificed other positions and gone bigger for Alexander Isak.
Isak aside, all other strikers moving to a Premier League club this summer have question marks against them.
Hugo Etikite and Benjamin Sesko both came from Germany at higher fees than Gyokeres with less experience, whilst Joao Pedro has never been a consistent goal scorer. Meanwhile Yoane Wissa turns 29 tomorrow and is more of a back up striker than first choice.
Gyokeres was clearly the man we favoured, and Berta got his man.
New defensive midfielder to replace Thomas Partey
In a deal that was perhaps a year later then expected, Martin Zubimendi finally became an Arsenal player – our second signing of the summer costing £55.8m.
A classy defensive midfielder in the Xabi Alonso mould, Zubimendi has been Arteta’s number one choice to replace Partey for nearly two years. And Berta delivered him.
New backup goalkeeper
In a move that got a lot of fans complaining, “not another Chelsea rejected”, Berta secured one of the deals of the summer.
I am a firm believer that had we signed Kepa for £5m direct from Bournemouth, there would be no complaints. The only criticism fans have of the deal is who he came from.
Last season, Kepa was first choice for Bournemouth, on loan from Chelsea, as they finished 9th, conceding the 6th least goals. Signing a mid-table Premier League starter for your back up keeper without breaking the back is a great deal.
New winger to compete on the left and offer cover for Bukayo Saka on the right
On one hand, Noni Madueke is exactly the sort of player we needed to cover Bukayo Saka, and he proved what he can do against Liverpool. On the other, it was disappointing that we have not fully resolved our left win issue.
A top left winger was only going to come in if either Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard departed. With no major bid coming in for either, it meant that interest in the likes of Rodrygo and Rafael Leao was not progressed.
Like Kepa, the signing of Madueke led to criticism of “another Chelsea player”. Thus showing that some fans do not have the mental aptitude to judge a player based on his ability, and instead prefer to regurgitate what they have seen from “banter” social media accounts.
Madueke is fantastic cover for Saka. Left footed playing on the right, his acquisition should take some pressure off Saka. His chaotic and direct style of play also gives Arteta another option.
New centre back to cover William Saliba
Very few, if anyone, would have had Cristhian Mosquera on their “want” list this summer. And that is why we are fans and not scouts or Directors of Football.
Mosquera looks tailor made for the Premier League – big, strong, powerful and quick. And Berta got him for just £13m.
When Saliba limped off after 5 minutes against Liverpool, Mosquera came in and we saw no drop off in defensive quality.
Whilst I do not want to talk about Saliba leaving, there is a possiiblity he might next summer if a new deal is not signed. We may already have recruited his replacement.
New deal for Bukayo Saka
One of the two points on the two do list that Berta has yet to complete. No new deal has yet been agreed for Bukayo Saka.
Arsenal reportedly opened talks for a new deal with Saka back in March, so it is slightly concerning that 6 months on, one is yet to be announced. However, it has to be remembered that for much of that time, Saka was recovering from injury and then focusing on his return.
One for Berta to keep working on.
New deal for William Saliba
As with Saka, the new deal for Saliba has yet to be agreed, and I am slightly more concerned about this one.
I think Saliba is a fantastic player, but I have never felt he is as comfortable at the club as Gabriel. He reminds me of Patrick Vieira who every summer was always keeping half an eye out for a move away.
At one point, a Real Madrid will turn Saliba’s head and he will decide to take a move to a club for guaranteed trophies, and we will be powerless to keep him. This could happen next summer if a new deal is not signed.
New deal for Gabriel
I actually think Gabriel is more important to the defence then William Saliba. He is the leader of the back four and the glue that keeps the defence together.
A new deal that sees him through to 2029 will mean if Saliba comes in, we at least have our rock and someone like Mosquera should be able seamlessly slot in next to him. One of our captains.
New deals for Nwaneri and Lewis Skelly
Two gems from the academy.
Whilst I expect both to be squad players this season rather than regular starters, it is good that Berta has secured their long term future at the club and rewarded them for their new status.
Last year we lost a couple of other top youngsters (both to Manchester United), who departed due to their belief that the “pathway to the first team” was better elsewhere. In reality, they had their heads turned by money.
Nwaneri and Lewis Skelly have shown that if you have the talent, you will get your chances and the contracts will follow. Meanwhile the two that departed are still playing PL2 football, a level they were at 2 years ago for Arsenal.
Great to secure our future
And the bonuses?
We raised the floor of the squad by replacing Jakub Kiwor with Piero Hincapie.
Whilst Kiwior has never really let us down, he has also not really shown that he was capable to come in for Gabriel for an extended period if injury hit. He also looked a little deer in headlights if needed at left back.
Hincapie has played nearly 200 games for Leverkusen at both centre back and left back. That means he is proven cover for Gabriel at centre back, and more than an adequate option at left back if Ricardo Calafiori continues his injury proneness. A floor raiser who has reduced the gape between our best defender and worst.
Ebere Eze was also another surprise.
Whilst he is an option on the left hand side, I still expect him to make more of an impact centrally. However if he does make the left wing his own, then that is a bonus! And it is a double bonus the way we snatched him from Tottenham.
And finally, Christian Norgaard joined from Brentford. Cover for Martin Zubimendi without breaking the bank.
The easy option would have been to not replace Jorginho, and use Declan Rice as Zubimendi’s cover if injured. Instead, Berta listened to Arteta who demanded greater squad depth and a move away from having players covering 3 or 4 positions.
Norgaard, like Kepa, is Premier League proven. He will also be a great option to come off the bench, next to Zubimendi, when we are defending a lead. A towering defensive midfielder who will block everything.
As for the departures, that is a blog for another day. Maybe.
Keenos