Cape Town - Overall, Arsenal’s 2021/22 season was good and one of progress. Granted, mistakes were made and the Gunners missed out on Champions League football but in truth, there were not heavy expectations on them to challenge for a top four finish.
The fact that Mikel Arteta kept them in the running for the top four for such a long time indicates that progress was made.
Impressively, Arsenal also showed strong mental resilience after the departure of former club captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang in January. The departure of the Gabon international was touted by many to not only create a leadership problem within the Gunners dressing room but also to impact the quality of their attack. They ended up improvising and doing well considering the circumstances.
One decision that Arteta will have to make now is who to appoint as his new club captain. Current captain Alexandre Lacazette looks set to depart the Emirates Stadium. The best current choice to take on the armband is Martin Odegaard.
The Gunners finally resolved their goalkeeping issues with Aaron Ramsdale arriving and making the firstchoice position his own. The former Sheffield United shot-stopper has the potential to become England’s number one if he can maintain his current level of consistency.
After joining the club from Brighton, Ben White also bolstered the club’s defence along with Gabriel.
Sambi Lokonga may have not had the best of seasons but it would still be foolish to write him off just yet as he is only 22. The lone pivot which Lokonga often found himself deployed in is a difficult role to do well in and even Thomas Partey as well as Manchester City’s Rodri took time to adapt to it.
Lokonga is unlikely to get a lot of game time in the Premier League next season but if the club opts to not send him on loan, he can still potentially use the Europa League and Cup games to continue refining his game.
The biggest weak point for Arsenal last season which the club needs to rectify as a matter of urgency is their lack of goals. Only three players scored 10 or more goals last season, namely Bukayo Saka (12), Emile Smith Rowe (11) and Eddie Nketiah (10).
The trio are still all young and may well have bright futures ahead of them but the club needs to provide them with added competition. If Arsenal want to challenge for the top four next season, they need to bring in a striker who can score at least 20 goals per season. Nicolas Pepe was brought to the Emirates in 2019 to bring in goals aplenty but these have not materialised. It’s safe to say that it is now time for them to offload the 27-year-old.
Saka may have established himself as an outstanding talent this season but a player who should also be given credit is Granit Xhaka.
After finding himself in the doldrums last season through his own fault, the Swiss international recovered well and was one of the hardest working players for Arsenal, showing maturity.