Arsenal are stuck in vicious cycle as top-four dream dies
THE irony of Bruno Guimaraes slamming the Champions League door in Arsenal’s face on Monday night was inescapable.
The interest in Guimaraes from north London during the January window was genuine, but it is said Arsenal were indecisive and slow in trying to close a deal.
Newcastle were less hesitant and the rest is history. Guimaraes scored the second goal in a 2-0 win at St James’ Park and — unless Tottenham lose to Norwich on Sunday — that as good as ended Arsenal’s hopes of finishing in the top four.
There was a similar theme behind Arsenal’s failure to land Emiliano Buendia last summer. The Gunners were given ample opportunity by Norwich to complete a deal for the Argentina international — but dithered, dallied and haggled.
Like Newcastle with Guimaraes, Aston Villa moved with minimal fuss to leave Arsenal floundering. It appears Arsenal’s faults aren’t only restricted to the pitch.
But more on the Gunners’ recruitment problems later because it’s on the pitch where they have really come a cropper. They’ve choked. It’s as simple as that. However, any criticism of Mikel Arteta and his team should be tempered.
Unquestionably, they’ve taken steps in the right direction this season. They head into the final day of the season with a chance — albeit a slim one — of finishing in the top four.
That signifies progress. That’s why Arsenal have handed Arteta a new three-year contract, although there are some at the Emirates who have questioned the timing of this month’s announcement about the deal — believing that the club should have waited until the end of the season to do so.
Arteta probably deserves his new deal, he’s building a young team who for much of the season have impressed. But to capitulate in this manner — losing five of their last nine matches — highlights deep-rooted problems.
Much of those deficiencies are mental, and in many ways the only way of rectifying them is with experience — like the heartache they suffered on Monday night.
In reality only Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney would interest any of the other traditional big six clubs in the Premier League.
The fact Partey and Tierney have missed the season run-in due to injury hasn’t helped Arsenal’s cause. But there lies the problem — a lack of depth in the squad.
The starting XI is blessed enough to compete for a top-four place; had Tierney and Partey been available then the season climax may have been different. But moving forward, who’s to say Saka will stick around much longer?
Talks over a new contract will take place after Sunday’s game against Everton. However, those discussions are unlikely to be straightforward as Saka wants to play in the Champions League.
Earning their seat back at European football’s top table would certainly have eased negotiations, but without it Arsenal are on the back foot.
Saka’s current deal expires in 2024 but can Arsenal really risk allowing a player — who would be worth close to £100m — to enter the final two years of his contract? It’s imperative for Arteta that Saka commits his future to the club as the 20-year-old is their best player.
The decision to let Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave without signing a replacement has proved costly and is a prime example of Arsenal’s poor recruitment.
The Gunners spent January trying to convince Dusan Vlahovic, who was at Fiorentina at the time, to join them instead of Juventus.
When it became clear they were losing that battle, they decided to keep their finances intact with a view to securing one of their preferred attacking targets in the summer instead of landing a quick-fix to deal with Aubameyang’s departure.
Aubameyang’s internal replacements — Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah — have scored five goals between them since he left. Lacazette’s only contribution to that tally was a penalty against Leicester in March. All in all, Arsenal could really have done with Aubameyang for the final half of the season.
Moving forward, attracting the level of player that Arteta and sporting director Edu want this summer will be compromised by failure to qualify for the Champions League.
Arsenal are interested in Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans, but the Belgian will prioritise a Champions League club before considering a move to London.
Granted, the chances of landing Benfica striker Darwin Nunez were remote anyway, but they are likely to be non-existent without being able to offer top-level European football.
Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus is said to be intrigued by the project Arteta is building, but is he fascinated enough to play in the Europa League?
It is claimed the transfer budget will be unaffected by the club’s latest failure to deliver top-tier European football next season, but money is not the problem.
The best players want to play in the best competitions — and as a result the club may find themselves looking further down their list of targets than they would have liked.
It’s a vicious cycle, and one Arsenal are struggling to escape.