The £68m Arsenal signing that could be the missing piece of the jigsaw in Mikel Arteta’s title dream - opinion
Arsenal have been linked with a highly-rated England international from one of their London rivals
Arsenal are preparing for their 100th consecutive campaign in the top-flight, making the first team in English football history to spend a century in the top division without relegation, but the Gunners are not simply here to compete in the Premier League this season. They want to be crowned champions!
It’s now been more than 20 years since Arsenal last celebrated a league triumph, a statistic that would seem unimaginable if you told any Gunners fan after they had just become winners without losing a single game at the end of the 2003/04 campaign.
Arsenal have come close since then. They flirted with the idea of the title during the 2007/08 campaign and pipped Tottenham to second during the 2015/16 season. But their best period since the Invincibles, based solely on league performance has come under Mikel Arteta with the Emirates outfit finishing as runners-up in all of the last three seasons, with Manchester City twice and more recently Liverpool beating them to the top prize.
Can Arsenal finally win the Premier League this season?
Arsenal have plenty of work to do to be crowned champions based on last season, after finishing 10 points behind Liverpool, in what was in truth a one horse race from New Year’s Day onwards. However, it’s clear they have many characteristics and foundations needed to win England’s top prizes.
For example, they conceded just 34 goals last season - the best defensive record in the Premier League. While they also did the same thing in the year prior to that, conceding just 29 times despite finishing two points behind the Sky Blues.
Gabriel and William Saliba are quite simply one of the best defensive partnerships in world football while the likes of Jurrien Timber, Ben White and youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly are all top players in the full-back positions that help in providing stability to David Raya’s goal.
They are well drilled in midfield and have added further by adding Martin Zumbimendi while also strengthening the frontline with Noni Madueke from Chelsea despite some supporters questioning the £50m transfer.
Arsenal are also believed to be on the verge of adding Victor Gyokeres to their frontline to finally give the team a real focal point in attack. But one transfer in particular could make all the difference in Arsenal’s title push when it comes to unlocking the potential of those around him.
Why Arsenal should go all out to sign Eberechi Eze
Arsenal are expected to approach Crystal Palace to discuss a deal for Eberechi Eze, as per reports from talkSPORT. It’s understood the England international, who treated Palace to one of their best ever nights by scoring against Manchester City in the FA Cup final, has a release clause of around £68m. Arsenal, however, wish to negotiate and would prefer to pay below the release clause to bring the footballer to the Emirates Stadium.
Eze, aged 27, is right in the prime of his career, and has ambitions of starting for England at the upcoming World Cup in North America. He’s capable of playing both as a left-winger and as a central-attacking midfielder, meaning he’d give Arsenal greater versatility going forward, and would enable Mikel Arteta to set the team up in different ways depending on their opponents.
Tactical flexibility was something that Arsenal lacked in large portions throughout last season particularly against a low block. Arsenal failed to score in a combined total of 10 matches last term, including three times against Newcastle, who proved to be a particularly difficult opponent for the Gunners at times last term.
Arsenal’s approach, while not limited to, was heavily centred around set-pieces, showing that they are incredibly well drilled and very receptive to Arteta and his coaching team’s method. They scored 15 times from set pieces, the fourth most in the league, but only had seventh best XG in the division with 59 suggesting a lack of creativity from open play and a great conversion rate despite the criticism of their lack of a No.9.
Eze is a player that has proven he’s capable of unlocking the potential of those around him. He managed 14 goals and 11 assists over the duration of last season, had the sixth most shot creating actions in the league (135), and has the sixth most shots per 90 (3.48) of any player in the league, as per Fbref.
The England international would offer great competition to Martin Odegaard in that attacking midfield role and could also feature prominently on the left-side of attack. It has the potential to be a game-changing signing that would make Arsenal much more free-flowing and could prove the missing piece of the jigsaw if successfully completed.