Writing in his column for The Evening Standard, Arsenal legend Alan Smith has delivered his verdict on Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
What did he say?
The Gunners have enjoyed just one victory in the Premier League since Arteta took over the reins from Unai Emery on a permanent basis as head coach.
But, following the mid-season winter break, Smith has suggested the time away could pay major dividends for the north London side, and claimed Arteta will “already be looking ahead to the summer”.
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He said: “Mikel Arteta still has two trophies in his sights — the Europa League coming up next week in the shape of Olympiakos and the FA Cup, where a win at Portsmouth would see my old club through to the quarter-finals.
“And Arteta, I’m sure, would have been pleased to get a bit of quality time with his players in Dubai, both on the training ground and off it, where these kinds of breaks can bring everyone together. It’s a great chance to hammer home what he wants from a tactical aspect and also a chance to nourish team spirit.
“But as any coach will confirm, you’re only as good as your players. That’s why Arteta will already be looking ahead to the summer when we will doubtless see some interesting transfer activity.”
Long-term vision
Whilst this season certainly isn’t anywhere close to being a write-off for the Gunners, there is certainly a lot riding on the Europa League.
Making the top four in the Premier League seems a fairly difficult task to achieve given that they are ten points behind Chelsea in that final Champions League qualification spot. As a result, Arteta’s attentions will surely be focused on winning the Europa League and thereby going one better than what Unai Emery managed last year.
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But as Smith alludes to, the Gunners’ new head coach will perhaps have one eye on the summer transfer market when the north London side may have a bit more money to spend than they did in the January window when they signed just two players on loan. The Arteta era will take shape a lot more when that time comes.
Whether it’s possible departures for the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil, or promising signings like RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano, it really will be interesting to see what the Gunners do like Smith suggests.
Meanwhile, John Cross has provided a major update on Arsenal’s summer transfer plans.