Arsenal’s summertime overhaul concluded with Henrikh Mkhitaryan finishing a loan transfer on the afternoon of the transport window to Roma.
The Armenian became among 25 players to leave the Emirates Stadium either or during the summer, and it is a move that sums up the club strategy to squad-building.
By proceeding on the 30-year-old Mkhitaryan, Arsenal not simply reduce their wage bill but also free up enjoying opportunities for academy graduates such as Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson.
We have a look at how Arsenal have changed profile and the personnel of the group during a summertime of radical change.
At the end of Maywe requested Sky Sports readers which Arsenal players they would keep and which they’d sell ahead of their summer season.
The survey showed 11 players the fans needed to leave, together with Calum Chambers, Nacho Monreal, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Carl Jenkinson, David Ospina, Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil all resolved out.
Three months on, and seven of those 11 titles have indeed departed at a busy summer which has observed a total of more than two dozen players leave the team on a temporary or permanent basis. The number might be even higher had Arsenal been able to locate appropriate suitors for Mustafi – independently and openly advised to depart by Emery – and – Ozil.
Arsenal were occupied in terms of incomings also, breaking up their transfer record to sign the #72m Nicolas Pepe out of Lille while also paying huge sums for left-back Kieran Tierney and 18-year-old central defender William Saliba, who moved straight back to St Etienne on loan for the season.
Pepe has featured prominently at the opening weeks of the year, providing the aid for Alexandre Lacazette’s purpose in Sunday’s north London derby, and while Tierney is still recovering from an accident, there also have been debuts for David Luiz, loanee Dani Ceballos and Brazilian youngster Gabriel Martinelli. The new-look facet of emery is taking shape.
INS: David Luiz, Gabriel Martinelli, Dani Ceballos, William Saliba, Nicolas Pepe, Kieran Tierney
Total spent: #138m
OUTS: Aaron Ramsey, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Petr Cech, Laurent Koscielny, Cohen Bramall, Julio Plegezuelo, Charlie Gilmour, David Ospina, Daniel Ballard, Jordi Osei-Tutu, Ben Sheaf, Xavier Amaechi, Krystian Bielik, Takuma Asano, Carl Jenkinson, William Saliba, Danny Welbeck, Dominic Thompson, Vontae Daley-Campbell, Eddie Nketiah, Alex Iwobi, Nacho Monreal, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Mohamed Elneny, Kelechi Nwakali
Total received: #56m
* All figures from the Move Database. Fees referenced don’t consist of loan deals.
Gamers in the Emirates Stadium’s turnover was quick, not this summer but within the last few decades. Indeed, the degree of the change becomes clear when looking back at the matchday squad to their 2017 FA Cup triumph over Chelsea of Arsenal – less than two-and-a-half decades ago.
As well as having a manager using Unai Emery, in the dugout set up of Arsene Wenger, Arsenal have proceeded on 14 of their 18 players involved that afternoon at Wembley.
The survivors are Ozil, Hector Bellerin, Xhaka along with Rob Holding.
Monreal’s departure to Real Sociedad signifies the player of Arsenal is currently Ozil, who joined them at 2013. The playmaker’s long run was in the summertime, however, a move never came into fruition. And yet, despite his experience, he’s still awaiting his very first appearance of the year, with choices being favoured by Emery.
One conclusion from the summer of Arsenal is that they have put youth over experience.
In Monreal, Koscielny, Mkhitaryan, Ospina and Lichtsteiner, they released or have sold five players over age 30. Even the David Luiz did arrive out of Chelsea, but the only other players in the group aged 30 or over are Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ozil and Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
The group has a young feel. With the exclusion of Luiz, their summer signings had an average age of 21. There’s also a promising crop of academy graduates competing for a location. Although Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe are waiting in line this year has impressed.
It had been the very first time since February 1998 when Arsenal had named two English teenagers in their beginning line-up After Nelson and Willock started at Newcastle about the opening weekend of this season.
The change was just as striking behind the scenes. Where once there was an all-powerful manager in Wenger, now there’s a whole team set up to look after matters, permitting head coach Emery to concentrate solely on what happens on the pitch and creating Arsenal effective in the market.
Raul Sanllehi has dominated the summer industry in his function as head of soccer, with technical manager Edu in addition to help in chief executive Vinai Venkatesham. The Brazilian was made in July after the death of former head of recruitment Sven Mislintat this year.
The hope now is that Arsenal have most of the bits in place to keep them moving in the perfect direction for the long-term. Their efforts to create the side up have only just begun.
Anticipate more change to come.
The Premier League is back and you can watch more matches than previously on Sky Sports. We are going to reveal 128 Premier League games just reside – and also have each weekend to the pick of matches.
We have new Saturday Night Football slots, with all matches each weekend at 5.30pm, Friday Night Football, Super Sunday and Monday Night Football.
Plus, you will have the ability to see Premier League highlights following the full-time sip on program and the Sky Sports website – .
As well as all that great live actions, we’ll also bring you Saturday Social (9.30am, Saturdays), Soccer AM (10.30am, Saturdays), Soccer Saturday (12pm, Saturdays), Sunday Supplement (10am, Sundays), Goals on Sunday (11.30am, Sundays) and also The Debate (weeknights) for its best reaction and evaluation.
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