Good signs for Arsenal as pre-season ends but signings are needed now

The potential in the Arsenal team has been shown in pre-season, capped off with an impressive 3-1 victory over Manchester City in Helsinki. The team seems to be prepared to take on their rivals for the Premier League tittle.

The defense looked solid through most of the game against City, having dealt with constant threats in the forms of Dzeko, Negredo, and Navas. The defense was aggressive and held their own, barring the clumsy goal that was conceded at the end of the game.

Another good sign was the form of the forward players. They took their chances clinically, there weren’t too many opportunities that Arsenal got, but the ones they did, they made it count, with Walcott and Giroud getting on the score sheet. As of now, Arsenal fans can breathe a sigh of relief, and tell themselves that the team is ready for the season.

Having said that, Arsenal need new arrivals now more than ever, mainly due to the fact that there has been such a huge summer clean out. The squad is very thin, with the exit of many players Arsenal have lost (even though they might be low in quality) sheer numbers in the squad.

It is incredibly crucial that Wenger works on new signings, or as the season goes on, Arsenal could find themselves in a very tough position. Players can get injured, or simply be fatigued. With their involvement in multiple competitions, the lack of numbers can be a disastrous problem.

The first area Arsenal need to address is the attacking options, right now Arsenal only have Giroud as an established out and out striker. Yes, Sanogo is there, but as the fans have already found out, he is injury prone, and not to mention highly inexperienced at the Premier League level.

Arsenal will have to bring in a top quality striker in order to launch a strong challenge for the tittle next season. The next area of concern is the one of the “deep lying” midfielder, normally taken care of by Arteta, Wilshere or Ramsey. There is a strong need for good back up or even a first team signing in that area.

There are strong reports that suggest that Luiz Gustavo could be on his way to the Emirates, but judging by the way the dealings have gone for Arsenal so far, reports really mean nothing. A good centre back would also be welcome at the Emirates due to the injury sustained by the captain, Thomas Vermaelen.

The signings need to come, and they need to come fast, because you don’t want to leave the dealings to a last minute situation since you might not get the quality that is actually needed. The ideal situation for Arsenal would have been to have all their transfers done and dusted by the time the Premier League season started, but that seems highly unlikely at this point in time, so right now the fans can only hope that deals go through quickly and the team to be ready to go as soon as possible.