On the day Arsenal lost a centre-forward to a long-term injury, they were heavily linked with a holding midfielder.
That’s presumably little more than coincidence. Arsenal’s worst fears over Gabriel Jesus’ left knee were confirmed and news emerged they have made significant headway on a deal to sign Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi in the summer.
Zubimendi is well-regarded, and would be a welcome addition to any squad. But the possibility of his arrival does nothing to solve Arsenal’s current crisis in attack. A squad already reeling from the loss of Bukayo Saka to hamstring surgery has lost another forward.
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Jesus’ diagnosis has compounded a rough week for Arsenal. ‘Missed chances’ has been the story of their last two games. A number of promising openings were spurned against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, then Manchester United in the FA Cup.
Even before Joshua Zirkzee converted the winning penalty kick for United, a few Arsenal fans had turned to head for the exits. It’s a curious situation to see supporters of a club still strongly positioned in the Premier League and Champions League so despondent.
Arsenal are looking to sign Zubimendi in the summer (Visionhaus/Getty Images)
But this is a fanbase — and perhaps a team — wearied by near-misses. After running Manchester City so close in the race for the Premier League title in each of the last two seasons, Arsenal look a little jaded.
Injuries and suspensions have dogged them and are starting to take a toll. Expectations have been raised, and with Liverpool looking likeliest to capitalise on City’s decline, there is frustration among the supporters. The north London derby is always a big game — but in the light of these troubling few days, it now looks pivotal for Arsenal’s season.
Here, James McNicholas analyses the issues with summer recruitment and examines January plans, Art de Roche looks at the on-pitch issues, Jordan Campbell highlights the effect of injuries and Amy Lawrence summarises the feeling among the fanbase.
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Last summer’s recruitment and January plans
At this point, it’s difficult to argue Arsenal’s summer was a success.
The club spent over £100million in the last transfer window, mostly on three first-team players: David Raya — whose loan deal from Brentford was made permanent — Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino. Neto and Raheem Sterling joined on loan.
While Raya has had a good season, the new arrivals have yet to make much impact. Of Arsenal’s 31 games in all competitions, Calafiori and Merino have started just 12 apiece. Sterling has been named in the XI for only five matches, while Neto is yet to appear in an Arsenal shirt. Arsenal’s strategy this summer was to raise the level of the wider squad. The new arrivals have done that, but are yet to make a lasting impression upon the first team.
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There is plenty of time for that perception to change. This time last year, Raya and Kai Havertz did not look especially convincing business. Calafiori and Merino will need to follow Raya and Havertz’s lead in producing excellent second halves of the season if they are to turn the tide of opinion.
Calafiori has started 12 games this season (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Midfield was the subject of much debate in the early part of the summer. Declan Rice had been signed for a club-record fee the previous summer. The initial plan had been to play him as a No 6, but after Rice impressed as a No 8 in the second half of 2023-24, that was thrown into doubt. It was felt that a decision on Rice’s future position would determine the profile of midfielder they needed to recruit.
Ultimately, that decision never came and the market determined who Arsenal recruited. The availability of Merino caught Arteta’s attention. With neither Havertz nor Rice deemed the perfect fit for the left-eight, the manager opted for a physical player with duel-winning abilities and penalty-box threat.
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Arsenal debated the merits of signing Merino before proceeding, too — there were concerns over his age, 28, and the plausibility of getting a return on their substantial investment. Arteta’s belief in Calafiori and Merino’s talent ultimately drove through Arsenal’s interest.
It was during those conversations over Merino that Arsenal reignited their interest in his Real Sociedad team-mate, Zubimendi. The 25-year-old holding midfielder has been a long-term target for Arsenal, and with Jorginho and Thomas Partey out of contract at the end of the season, they are hoping to complete a deal in the summer of 2025. Zubimendi has a €60m (£51m; $61.8m) release clause, but Arsenal may be prepared to pay slightly more if they can negotiate more favourable payment terms.
One thing Arsenal failed to do was significantly strengthen their attack. They explored deals for a number of forwards. Their interest in RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko is well documented. Fairly early in the summer, however, Sesko communicated his decision to remain with Leipzig for at least one more year. Arsenal were understanding.
Arsenal generally prefer to wait to secure primary targets rather than panic buy. Arsenal knew they had to keep some powder dry for another potential attempt at signing Sesko — and, indeed, for Zubimendi.
After his impressive showing at Euro 2024, Arteta — like many of Europe’s top coaches — was enamoured with Athletic Club winger Nico Williams. Ultimately his buyout clause and wage demands meant Arsenal would have needed several more sales from the first-team group to afford a deal.
Arteta’s admiration for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak has been consistent, but likewise Arsenal have always felt his price tag would be difficult to meet.
The cost of Alexander Isak could prove a stumbling block (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Were Sesko or another long-term target available in the summer, things might have been different, but Arsenal did not feel there were attackers on the market who represented clear upgrades, so strengthened other areas.
If a buyer had emerged for Reiss Nelson, it might have unlocked some budget for another arrival. As it was, come the end of the window his only suitors were looking for loan deals. That led to the deadline-day decision to sign Sterling as his replacement.
The Neto deal was similarly last minute. Arsenal had spent the summer embroiled in the pursuit of Espanyol’s Joan Garcia. The 23-year-old was goalkeeper coach Inaki Cana’s preferred candidate to replace Aaron Ramsdale, but in the final hours of the window it became clear Espanyol were not prepared to move on their asking price. With time running out, then sporting director Edu turned to the experienced Neto.
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It was a pragmatic deal, but not a perfect one. Neto was cup-tied for the competition in which he was most likely to play, the Carabao Cup, indirectly leading to Arsenal having to field 16-year-old Jack Porter in the third round. Neto’s arrival also used one of the club’s two domestic loan spots.
And so to January. As recently as the day of the Manchester United game, Arsenal did not expect to make a significant addition to their attack in January, believing the players they admire would not be available to move midseason.
The seriousness of Jesus’ injury will surely have changed that stance. The situation requires urgent attention — and Arsenal may have to deviate from their broader recruitment strategy.
“We are actively looking in the market to improve the squad, and that’s been the same since day one,” said Arteta on Tuesday. “It would be naive not to do that because it is always an opportunity to evolve the team and improve the squad, especially with the circumstances.”
Sesko remains of interest. His intention has been to finish the season with Leipzig, but the right proposition from the right club could see that position shift. This may be the time for Arsenal to make a concerted effort.
Is it time for Arsenal to go in for Sesko? (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Arsenal may also have to widen their pool of targets. Dusan Vlahovic, previously a target in January 2022, is one name that could reappear on their lists this month.
Budget will be a factor. As well as the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, Arsenal’s Champions League participation means they also need to comply with UEFA’s financial regulations. Plus, the goal of Arsenal’s owners KSE has always been to see the club return to a self-sustaining model.
The challenge for Arsenal will be to balance short-term needs with long-term squad planning. While Arsenal feel they are in a strong position on Zubimendi, uncertainty over January plans has enabled Manchester City to steal a march in the race for 19-year-old Palmeiras centre-half Vitor Reis.
Although Arsenal have no immediate need for a centre-back, Reis had been identified as a player of huge potential. Like the signing of William Saliba in the summer of 2019, a move for Reis was seen by some at Arsenal as a way of future-proofing the centre of defence.
Significant work had gone into the battle for Reis. Arsenal felt they were in a strong position — but with other priorities to attend to, ultimately did not proceed with a deal. City have been able to swoop in and agree a transfer for a fee that could rise to as much as €40m (£33.8m; $41.2m).
Arsenal’s attack continues to look a little underpowered. “In the front position, comparing to what other clubs have done and the expenditure that we have there, we are very far from it (their levels) over the years,” admitted Arteta in a press conference earlier this month.
Landing Zubimendi would be a coup — but it’s another Arteta-led signing, and another that diverts yet more resources into the defensive half of the pitch. Perhaps Zubimendi’s arrival would unlock new levels in former team-mate Merino. Equally, perhaps the midfield reshuffle will mean not having the funds to sign another creative player. As Arsenal try to come up with solutions in what remains of the January window, achieving the right balance will be key.
In recent years, Arsenal’s impressive transfer business has been based on positive collaboration between coaching and recruitment. In the wake of the departure of sporting director Edu, Arsenal will attempt to strike the right balance between the manager’s immediate priorities and the long-term squad-building strategy. A signing like 21-year-old Sesko would meet both criteria.
Arsenal’s dealings this month will be overseen by the interim sporting director, Jason Ayto. Arsenal are in the midst of a recruitment process for a new sporting director, in which Ayto is expected to be a candidate. Working with an external recruiter, Arenal have compiled a list of candidates, with interviews set to begin in earnest once the window has closed in February.
James McNicholas
What’s gone wrong on the pitch?
Arsenal have the same points (40) as they had after 20 league matches last season. Similarly, the first half of this campaign has been considered slow compared to the one that kickstarted their 2022-23 title challenge (50 points after 20 games).
Missed chances were a theme when points were dropped in last season’s festive period, as they have been in the past week, but are not the sole reason for the recent slump.
This campaign has felt strenuous due to an unhelpful mixture of injuries (discussed below) and game-changing decisions. In their first eight league matches, they dropped points in only three games (drawing two and losing one).
They received red cards in all three matches, with the momentum swinging out of their favour in each. During this period, Martin Odegaard suffered an ankle injury sustained in the September international break to add to the shoulder injury Merino suffered in his first training session that kept him out for six weeks.
Their football had to change, and Arteta decided to switch from his usual 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 with Leandro Trossard and Havertz up front. While this worked initially, as it did when Arteta first used the pair together last season, opponents soon nullified the duo.
Havertz and Trossard have been used up front together this season (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
This coincided with Arsenal’s first slump, in which they dropped points in four consecutive league games from October 19 to November 10. Odegaard’s return on November 10, and the return to a midfield three, was essential for the trip to Chelsea that day. Even with the Norway midfielder coming back well at Stamford Bridge, defensive sloppiness resulted in a 1-1 draw.
More attacking emphasis was put on Saka on the right and he became the fourth-fastest player in Premier League history to reach 10 assists (in 13 games), but Arsenal failed to build on that momentum.
Odegaard initially impressed upon returning, but his form soon tailed off, potentially feeling the effects of losing the initial burst of comeback adrenaline, becoming a first-time father and suffering from illness. Three straight league wins from November 23 to December 4 were halted by two draws, and the next three wins were followed by a seventh draw of the season, away at Brighton on January 4.
Having suffered an injury early in the season, Odegaard has struggled to consistently find his best form (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Themes that emerged at the Amex, and the two games since, were present in December draws against Fulham and Everton.
Arsenal dominated possession, but were not threatening enough against Fulham, Everton or Brighton, and not efficient enough with the chances they did create against Newcastle and Manchester United. The matches followed a similar pattern for the most part as they became predictable, which has contributed to in-stadium frustration (discussed below).
Their title charge last season, in which they won 16 of their last 18, proved it is possible to find staying power when it is least expected but doing so again will be a big ask. More important, however, may be the manner in which they turn draws and defeats into wins again.
Art de Roche
The impact of injuries…
In the first six months of this season, Arteta’s attempts at finding consistency have been repeatedly undermined by injuries.
Merino’s injury deprived him of a proper pre-season and meant Arteta’s plans for the problematic left-eight position had to be temporarily postponed once again. But the wider issue has been injuries to multiple players in the same position, which has disrupted the rhythm of the team.
Arteta has named ten different back-four combinations in the Premier League. Not one variation has started more than five times and not one has started more than three games in a row. Ben White has made just 12 appearances in all competitions, missing different periods between September and November with a knee injury before he went for surgery.
A pattern that ran like clockwork last season was the positional rotations between Saka, White and Odegaard. That trio have started just four league games together this year, meaning different relationships have had to be developed with different spaces being attacked by those players.
White has played 12 times this season (Warren Little/Getty Images)
Jurrien Timber’s return from an ACL injury that ruined his debut season should have helped but he has had three separate absences, which has seen Partey have to move to right-back and he is not able to overlap like the other two.
When Timber and Calafiori have played together, they have offered a glimpse of what they could offer in tandem. In the summer, there were some concerns over the Italian’s injury history and these have been borne out. He has suffered four separate injuries since joining and only been able to stitch together a run of six consecutive games.
Arsenal have seven players capable of playing at left-back but Takehiro Tomiyasu has been absent for the duration of the season, Kieran Tierney only returned to the matchday squad in late November, while Oleksandr Zinchenko missed over a month between September and the bulk of December.
Odegaard’s injury forced Arteta into altering the team’s shape to a 4-2-4, which showed adaptability but did not help build momentum.
Recently, the major issue has been in the forward line with the loss of Saka just before Christmas. It is partly Arsenal’s fault that they are so heavily reliant on him due to the lack of a back-up but Sterling was also injured at that point. Ethan Nwaneri was handed the responsibility of filling in for Saka but halfway into his second start on the right wing, he had to be taken off due to an injury.
Jesus appeared to have rediscovered some form but in just his sixth start since coming back into the team he suffered a season-ending ACL injury.
It had looked like Arsenal may be over the worst of their injury-hit start to the season in late November when Odegaard came back and Arsenal looked fluent again. But this month Arteta said he was down to seven or eight players in training due to illness, injury and the regular starters having to be managed. Arteta is not a manager who likes to rotate as often as some others but this is a season when his hand has been forced.
Jordan Campbell
What is the feeling among the fanbase?
Five home matches in 16 days over January — typically a time when cash reserves are low and it is hardly the best time of the year for splurging on a treat or going out — is a challenge for a lot of Arsenal supporters. The crowd at the Emirates Stadium has been on the flat side for the past two cup matches.
The challenges are not only financial — there is also a requirement to dig deep to support a team that is in disappointing form. Worries abound not only in terms of results, but also quality of performance. It is jaded, sluggish, missing dynamism and an exciting spark. This is in comparison to other games, such as those against Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain in October, where the Emirates atmosphere was far more lively.
Arsenal tend to be a crowd that reacts to the team rather than the other way round, and the thrill of the past couple of seasons saw the best atmosphere since the move to their current home almost 20 years ago. It was a ride players and supporters took hand in hand. Perhaps that hangover, that sense of being a little drained, which afflicts the players during this season’s struggles is also felt in the stands. To be so close to dreamland and so vibrantly contest the Premier League title breathed new life into the entire Arsenal culture. The struggle to live up to that expectation has muted the vibrations around the place.
(GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
It has not helped that the allocation for the Ashburton Army — the section of fans who see it as their job to support the team vocally for every minute — has been reduced and for the two recent cup games, they — along with other supporters — had to give up their normal seats to provide a bigger allocation in the Clock End for away fans.
Arsenal have also introduced two new ticketing schemes mid-season that have had teething troubles, and some supporters say have made it more difficult to access or transfer their seats, which also has an impact on atmosphere as people turn up and many of the usual faces are not around them.
Overall, there is an added pressure and frustration that in a season when Manchester City have tumbled from their usual standards, they are not in a position to be as assertive as they would wish to be. It has been a Murphy’s Law of a campaign so far, and grappling with the sense that anything that can go wrong does — even things they wouldn’t imagine going wrong such as red cards for delaying restarts.
So, who lifts who?
Arteta is urging the fanbase to try to understand, and above all, to play their part to help the team to come through. “There are a lot of things that happened which are very difficult to control and to understand,” he says. “Let’s create the best atmosphere that the Emirates has seen. This is something that is in our hands. If we want, we will create it. What we are going to try with the players and the staff is we are the first ones to embrace that, and hopefully they will follow us.
“I cannot describe how much it helps the narrative, the energy across the club. We have experienced it: a negative one and a positive one, and what is the outcome? So it is our choice.“
Arteta has from day one pushed for unity between the fans and players. Right now it is a testing time. Surely, against the old enemy in the north London derby, they will come together to collectively drive a much-needed boost in their levels of togetherness, resilience, defiance. They simply have to put complications behind them and push on through.
As Arteta emphasises, “That’s something we can control — players, staff and supporters that turn up tomorrow. So let’s do it.”
Amy Lawrence
(Top photos: Getty Images; design by Eamonn Dalton)
