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For many transfer windows, Arsene Wenger has been blamed for not buying the right players. The Frenchman ended his career as the Arsenal manager back last May and since then, Unai Emery has taken over.
The former Paris Saint-Germain manager was in-charged of Arsenal's winter transfer window, but fans did not seem pleased with what has happened. Even though the club has now changed its manager, it appears as if it is still the same old Arsenal, which has been unable to finish top four in recent years.
Arsenal are currently fourth in the table rankings, with just a point ahead of Manchester United. It has been more than halfway through the season and Emery's style of football has not been as effective as expected. Here is a look at the reasons why Arsenal has not changed despite Emery's appointment.
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#1 Absymal Defence
Arsenal has conceded 37 goals in 27 Premier League games thus far. Many of the veteran defenders such as the likes of Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal are nearing the end of their careers. In the winter transfer window, Emery failed to purchase defensive reinforcements. Instead, he went on to sign Denis Suarez, an attacking midfielder, on loan. This hardly solves the defensive problem that the Gunners are facing.
Virgil van Djik is a great example to show that Arsenal needs a world class defender in order to compete for Champions League qualification spots. The Dutch defender has had an enormous impact on Liverpool's title challenge this season. With Shkodran Mustafi not performing up to his true potential at the club, he is not the long term solution that the team is looking for. There are reports which state that the German defender could soon be sold in the upcoming transfer window.
In addition, Sokratis is seen as just a short-term aid for the club's defence. Although youngsters such as Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding and Mavropanos are emerging and showing signs of taking over, the trio have been marred by injuries. Bellerin and Holding both suffered season-ending injuries and they will not be in action for the Gunners until next season. Mavropanos has not yet featured for the Gunners despite being fit and it could take some time before he fully adapts to the demands of the EPL.
#2. Lack of transfer funds
The transfer policy at Emirates had seen surprising change during the ending years of Wenger. Big money was spent on players like Lacazette, Aubameyang and Xhaka, but they come by rare. Wenger had also done away with his policy of signing players only below the age of 25. But none of the recent signings has looked like a planned signing or a target based signing, it was more of signing from the available players after the bigger clubs have already bought the best ones from the market.
With scarce funds at Arsenal and owners unwilling to put their own money into the club, it seems like a long struggle for Arsenal to return back to the old glory days. It has been difficult for the club to keep hold of their talents such as Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey. Both have had difficult contract situations at Arsenal and eventually, the duo will be a history of the club.
Mesut Ozil seems to be only one who still wants to stay at the Emirates and he has been rewarded with a huge wage pay. Handling of star players was never Unai Emery’s forte. He struggled to control big players such as Neymar during his time at Paris Saint-Germain. In the upcoming transfer window, he could look to get players who he can exert dominance on and get the best out of them.
#3. Injuries-
Injuries and struggle for top 4 have been the only constants for Arsenal in the past 20 years. Losing big players at crucial junctures had been a problem Wenger throughout the years and Unai is no different. Welbeck, Holding, Bellerin, Sokratis, and Monreal have been injured for various duration of time this season. The absence of these experienced players has affected Arsenal's hopes of reaching top four.
Besides the lack of funds, the workload management of the existing players had always been poor at Arsenal. It is something Emery will have to address in the coming seasons. It’s important to keep players fit for the crucial part of the season, especially for the last 2-3 months of the season where Arsenal usually lose their form and succumb to pressure.
Yet, at present, Emery is trying his best to keep the club in the hunt for the top four finish, and his expertise in the Europa League will give a glimmer of hope of a return to the Champions League next season. Injuries cannot be avoided, but the manager would have to pick a squad which can be resilient to such devastating injuries.
As much as Emery is putting in his best, the players also have to believe in their manager or else, history would repeat itself. There would not be any difference between Wenger and Emery if these problems do not get solved.
