Arsenal have done a lot of good business in this summer’s transfer market. They’ve already brought in a group of excellent new players: Alexis Sanchez, Calum Chambers, Mathieu Debuchy and David Ospina.
They’ve also managed to ward off other club’s interest in their own players. Whilst they have a few stand out players (Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil, etc), they haven’t attracted much attention in this summer’s transfer market. I’d argue that this is testament to the unity prevalent within this Arsenal squad.
Even those players who do seem to want a move away (like Thomas Vermaelen), have been well behaved. It’s a nice state of affairs and one that Arsenal fans won’t be entirely accustomed to.
As it happens, Vermaelen isn’t the only player who could be destined to leave The Emirates this summer. The Metro recently ran an article suggesting that La Liga side, Athletic Bilbao is after two Arsenal players: Mikel Arteta and Nacho Monreal.
Whilst both Spaniards are good players, it strikes me that neither are absolutely essential to Arsenal’s future. They’re excellent squad players, but they’re not the type that you can build a title-charge on. They’re not up there with my aforementioned list of stand-out players.
Interestingly enough, whilst Mikel Arteta is a more valuable option and probably a better footballer, I’d argue that he’s more expendable. Arsenal have so many options in the centre-of-the-park, that I’m not sure his absence will truly be felt around The Emirates. Yes, he’s a leader, but hopefully others around him will be able to step up to the plate. Maybe it’s time for the Jack Wilsheres of this world to take charge.
Beyond Kieran Gibbs, The Gunners don’t have too many experienced left-back options. That’s why Arsene Wenger will probably need to keep hold of Nacho Monreal. Down the right, The Gunners now have both Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers. They need to match this quality down the left.
Still, the fact that Arsenal could let both Nacho Monreal and Mikel Arteta go and manage to get by, is a sign of how far they’ve come. It’s an exciting time to be an Arsenal fan. Let’s just hope that further success is to come over the course of the next season.
What’s your take? What does the future hold for Mikel Arteta and Nacho Monreal?
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