5 players Arsenal should have signed in the summer

Arsenal’s disastrous start to the season has left Gunners fans in anger over Arsene Wenger’s decision to stay as manager of the club.

Only two players were brought in during the summer, and although both have been extremely impressive, more signings needed to be made. New players in other positions could have potentially got Arsenal better results away from home, where they have already lost to Stoke, Liverpool, Watford and Manchester City this season. There’s no way of reversing time, but Wenger will still look back in regret at the players he missed out on.

Here are five players Arsenal should have signed in the summer:

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#5 Leon Goretzka

With his contract set to run out this summer, Arsenal should have pounced on the opportunity to sign German international Leon Goretzka at a lower price.

The Schalke midfielder has made an excellent start to the season for both club and country, scoring seven goals in 14 appearances from midfield. With Arsenal looking set to lose Mesut Ozil, the young German could have been integrated into the Arsenal side and fill the void his fellow compatriot Ozil is going to leave if he does move on in January or after this season.

At 6ft 2”, he has all the attributes necessary to play in either an attacking role or a box to box centre midfield position. He is strong in the air and talented with his feet, which would mean he would fit in perfectly at Arsenal. And even if he did not immediately displace Ozil from his position in the Arsenal side, he could replace Aaron Ramsey and offer more of an aerial threat as a third man from midfield in attacks.

Furthermore, Goretzka is just 22 years old, meaning signing him would help Arsenal in the long term, and he’s only going to get better as years go by. He is extremely talented and is arguably a player Arsenal should have got their hands on this past summer. Hopefully, the Gunners can sign the 22-year-old on a free transfer next summer.

#4 Jack Butland

This is Butland's fifth season with Stoke

With Petr Cech in the twilight of his career and David Ospina never looking likely to become more than a number two, Wenger should have signed a goalkeeper last summer. The goalkeeper he should have targetted is Jack Butland.

The Stoke number one hasn’t made a particularly good start to this Premier League season with his Stoke side conceding 22 goals, the joint second most in the Premier League with Everton and Crystal Palace. Also, his save percentage has been poor at 54.2%, the second worst In the Premier League to only Simon Mignolet.

However, these statistics should not determine how good a keeper Butland is, especially this early in the season. The Englishman spent the majority of last season on the sidelines, making just five appearances. He’s taken a long time to rediscover his form, but it will not be long before his name will be mentioned in transfer rumours to top clubs again.

The 6ft 5in keeper is one of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League and has very good handling. Not only that, his distribution is pretty good, which would make him perfect for Arsenal who look to build from the back as quickly as possible.

Although statistics may suggest he is not performing, neither is Cech. There is no doubt that the Englishman would be doing a better job for Arsenal than their current number one, and he should have been signed in the summer.

#3 Virgil van Dijk

Van Dijk has made clear his intentions to leave Southampton

As usual, Laurent Koscielny has been performing consistently for the Gunners when he has been fit so far this season. And with Nacho Monreal perfectly adapting to his role on the left side of a back three, Virgil van Dijk would have made a fantastic trio at the back for the Gunners.

However, Arsenal chose not to buy the Southampton centre-back. With the Dutchman unwilling to stay at St Mary’s and Liverpool being categorically ignored by the Saints this past summer, it set up perfectly for the Gunners to swoop in and sign the centre-back, who is the sort of player Arsenal fans have wanted for years. But it seems Wenger chose to neglect the chance to sign him.

He is a commanding centre-back who is also very intelligent and good on the ball. With the inexperience of Rob Holding, the age of Per Mertesacker and the patchy performances of Shkodran Mustafi, van Dijk could have been the ideal player to solve Arsenal's conundrum at the back. Even though both Koscielny and Monreal are very good in the air, they lack the aerial threat that the 26-year-old would bring with his size.

Additionally, as mentioned, Van Dijk is very good on the ball, meaning he would not only fit in at Arsenal but potentially any club in the world.

Deciding not to go for the Dutchman in the summer could come back to haunt Arsenal with lots of top clubs being eager to snap up van Dijk next summer.

#2 Jean Seri

Seri was reportedly heartbroken he wasn't allowed to leave Nice this past summer

Ivorian Jean Seri was linked to Arsenal all summer, but they eventually opted against signing the midfielder.

The Gunners boss Wenger decided that his current midfield talent was enough, but with how his central midfield has performed this season it seems crazy that the Frenchman chose not to sign the 26-year-old.

Granit Xhaka and Ramsey looked to have formed a formidable partnership at the end of last season, but it has been a different story so far this campaign. The midfield two have struggled for consistency and stability, partly contributing to Arsenal only keeping four clean sheets in the league this season.

Seri was the perfect option for Arsenal. He has an excellent passing range which includes carving open defences with through balls and picking up the ball deep and finding a run by the fullback.

Not only that, the Ivorian isn’t afraid of a tackle and can break up counter attacks from deep in midfield. He is more than capable of playing any central midfield role and would fit in perfectly at Arsenal for his versatility, something that Ramsey and Xhaka lack.

With Barcelona likely to be strongly interested again next summer, however, Arsenal might have lost out on a good player in the midfield.

#1 Thomas Lemar

Lemar is one of the few players left from Monaco's magnificent campaign last season

Thomas Lemar is a player Wenger will be extremely disappointed he didn’t sign this summer. There is no doubt it was a mistake by the Gunners boss, but he will attempt to bring the Frenchman to the club again this January.

Lemar, in Monaco’s title-winning season of 2016/17, showed what an incredible player he is. Playing on either the left side or in central midfield for the French champions, he excelled in a fluid attacking team managed by Leonardo Jardim. And although Bernardo Silva and Tiemoue Bakayoko were also available this summer and were eventually sold to Manchester City and Chelsea, Wenger only had eyes for one player; Lemar.

At just 21 years old, the Frenchman looks way beyond his years, showing no signs of weakness or vulnerability in any midfield role he is told to play in. Like Seri, Lemar’s versatility was a reason the Gunners boss was so interested in him, and he would have certainly improved the current Arsenal side.

His close control is extremely good and is a strong reason why the 21-year-old is already so involved with the French national team, who are expected to be successful at next year’s World Cup due to their array of talent.

It seems Alexis Sanchez is now certain to leave the club, with him having no interest in signing a new contract. In hindsight, it would have been perfect if Arsenal had sold Sanchez and replaced him with Lemar, it just wasn’t to be.