Arsenal are still suffering from their Premier League title loss, but their lineup might look significantly different come the start of next season....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Despite leading the Premier League for more than 90% of the season, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal fell just short of capturing their first title in 19 years this season.
While the Emirates faithful should be happy of how far their young team pushed Manchester City this season, it wasn’t enough, and as a result, Arteta has a number of tough decisions to make during the summer window.
If suspicions about the departures of Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey are to be believed, his task will become even more difficult. The former appears to be the more likely to go soon, with a deal to Bayer Leverkusen in the works, but Partey might also be on the move, with interest from two Serie A clubs.
Given that Aaron Ramsdale signed a contract extension only last week, it’s no surprise who lines up between the pipes. The England international has had another strong season in goal and might remain Arsenal’s number one for many years to come.
The first change is at right-back, with Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo, who is now on loan at Bayern Munich, being mentioned as a possible replacement. From their time together at the Etihad, Arteta is well aware of the full-back’s strengths.
The same central defensive pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel that has been rock solid for so long this season will remain at the heart of Arsenal’s backline, while Oleksandr Zinchenko will remain at left-back.
Fans should expect the most turmoil in the middle of the park, as Arteta will require at least two new central midfielders with both Xhaka and Partey likely leaving.
Declan Rice, the captain of West Ham United, has long been on Arsenal’s transfer wish list, and the general assumption is that the 24-year-old will be wearing the red and white next season if the Gunners meet the Hammers’ value of him, which is considered to be in the region of £90 million.
