Although the disappointment of missing out on the Champions League still looms large for Arsenal, the club will once again look to the future and with a new season just around the corner, Mikel Arteta will now look to finally return his team to the elite of European football.
A task that will once again call upon Arsenal’s exciting young talents and with the likes of England’s Bukayo Saka and Brazil’s Gabriel Martinelli ready to cause opposition defenders headaches once again, Arteta will hope that next May sees the Gunners finish in the top four of the Premier League.
Of course, youth alone will not get a club to where it wants to be and although this time of the year is known for new kit releases, it is transfers that will largely grab the attention of their avid supporters.
Because if there is one thing that the North London outfit truly lacked last season, it was experience. Experience that could have helped cooler heads prevail in the final month of the campaign – a month when it all seemed to fall apart.
The month of May where Arsenal lost to both Tottenham and Manchester City in two crucial Premier League encounters and in doing so, spurned the opportunity to make a long overdue return to the Champions League.
That though is the past and it must be said that Arsenal’s manager is very much a man who looks to the future. If he can land a couple of seasoned veterans to go alongside the pair of stars named above, then the perfect blend of youth and experience will be fused together.
Especially as Mikel Arteta is very much a man who operates in one way and one way only and if any player dare go against him in terms of opinion or discipline, they will eventually be shown the exit door.
Something that has happened to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil in the past and with Alexandre Lacazette also not having his contracted renewed, it means Arsenal will soon be putting their attacking faith in Eddie Nketiah.
With the 23-year-old recently putting pen to paper on a new deal, he will be tasked with not only helping Arsenal return to the Champions League for 2023/24 but also leading the club to Europa League success in 2022/23.
Then again, Arsenal’s participation in next season’s Europa League could also be seen as a blessing in disguise and with them having a far greater chance of lifting this trophy, it could also offer a quicker route to silverware.
Ultimately it depends just how seriously Arsenal want to take the competition and if they do decide that a full tilt at the Europa League makes sense, do not be surprised if they make it all the way to the final in Budapest, Hungary.
However they decide to approach their European skirmishes, their main focus will be on mixing it with the very best in the Premier League and with the things already warming up last season, they are just a couple of signings away from awakening this football sleeping giant.
