Following the much-anticipated Premier League final day drama, Manchester City had enough in the tank to win their fourth Premier League title in a row, ousting Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side for the second season in a row, as Arsenal, despite having a near-perfect record in 2024, dropping only four points, and ending with 89 points, Manchester City had 91, which is rather monumental, if you ask me.
There has been regrets, despair, deep thoughts on what might have been and all these have been summarized by Arsenal’s Sporting Director, Edu Gaspar,
“It’s a strange feeling, very strange, because we ended the season with a feeling that we did everything very well.
“From recruitment and objectives, to contract renewals. Mikel did a great job and achieved his goals. We did everything we could, but it wasn’t enough.
“There is frustration, but there is also a positive feeling that the process was done well. The work was excellent.”
As stated earlier, Arsenal’s form in the turn of the new year was actually phenomenal, winning 16 of the remaining 18 Premier League games. The only dropped points were at the Etihad Stadium in that cagey stalemate with the eventual champions, and the Jekyll and Hyde performance against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, which turned out to be turning point in the title race, handing over the advantage to Manchester City.
In terms of recruitment, it is fair to say that the quality of players Arsenal have signed in recent campaigns have been exemplary, and the 220 million quid spent on Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber was true value for money. Havertz was the first signing of the window, arriving to replace Granit Xhaka as the coveted ‘left 8’ position, and despite his shaky start to life at the Emirates, the languid German schemer grew in stature and influence, finishing the campaign with 14 goals and seven assists.
Due to the uncertainty surrounding Thomas Partey’s fitness, as well as the lack of trust for Mohamed Elneny and Albert Sambi Lokonga, Arsenal went all in on Declan Rice and what a monster of a signing he turned out to be. Let’s just forget about the seven goals and nine assists he created, which as insane numbers for a defensive midfielder, and look at the numbers expected from a player of his position,
- 299 duels contested
- 83 tackles made
- 85 aerial duels contested
- 214 duels contested
- 51 clearances
- 44 interceptions
Then there is Timber, a player that would have been immense for us, when we lost William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu last season. His physical ability and versatility would have been very handy to help Arsenal sustain their Premier League. At the last preseason tour on the United States, Timber featured predominantly as an inverted left back, and his performances there was like water on a duck’s back. However, injury robbed us off his services this season, and we couldn’t get a glimpse of his quality this season.
For the objectives, even though they were not publicly published, one can assume that the follow up objective from last season, was to challenge for the Premier League again, and go as far as possible in the Champions League and domestic competitions. Edu Gaspar and the Arsenal hierarchy would have been very proud of the progression made since Arteta’s arrival four years ago, and everyone connected with Arsenal can be elated of what is to come from these lads.
Arsenal pushed Manchester City to the very last day of the season, surpassed their Premier League record for wins (28), and came very close to the same amount of points achieved by the Immortals of 2004 (89). Arsenal featured in the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in 14 years and narrowly missed on a place in the semifinals following a two-legged clash with Bayern Munich.
Regarding contract renewals, several important players had their extensions with the most notable being club captain, Martin Odegaard and Ben White. Last season, we had William Saliba, Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. These extensions show that the players are on board with the project and will want to contribute to ensure the club achieve their goals for the forthcoming campaign.
All focus will go to Arsenal’s transfer dealings this summer and we can only hope that Edu and his team will get the right targets that will improve the squad effectively, while shedding off the deadwood.
Sayonara.
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