Top four minimum requirement for unpredictable Arsenal

Financial realities starting to bite with no CL for 3rd straight season

LONDON, Aug 7, (RTRS): With one player on strike and two more forced to fight off knife-wielding attackers on a London street, nothing that unfolds this season can top Arsenal’s close season for drama.

Try as manager Unai Emery might to present a boring narrative of steady progress, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that almost anything might happen next and probably will.

Take for instance the signing of forward Nicolas Pepe for a club record 72 million pounds from Lille.

At a stroke the Ivorian’s arrival has done much to lift the mood after Arsenal’s abortive attempt to sign Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace amid supporter predictions that this was going to be a window of scrimping in the transfer market.

Pepe should provide more edge for Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, one of the Premier League’s deadliest combinations with 50 goals between them last season.

Celtic fullback Kieran Tierney is another possible arrival at The Emirates over the coming days.

With such reinforcements pressure will ramp up on Emery to at least return Arsenal to the top four and a Champions

Ozil

In this file photo dated Feb 26, 2017, United’s Wayne Rooney lifts the trophy after they won the English League Cup final soccer match between Manchester United and Southampton FC at Wembley stadium in London. It was announced on Aug 6, that 33-year-old former England captain Wayne Rooney will be leaving US Major League Soccer team D.C. United to join second-tier English Championship team Derby County as player-coach from January 2020. (AP)