Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past few months, you’ll be fully aware that a new era is underway at Arsenal Football Club as new manager, Unai Emery, looks to rebuild the club’s fortunes and get the North London giants challenging for Premier League and European honors once again.
It’s no secret that the club simply stagnated under Arsene Wenger’s guidance, especially against the bigger and better sides, the Gunners’ defence tended to be their main undoing. Whether it was their fragility in the back four or a distinct lack of protection in front of it, Arsenal have been a team known for their defensive mishaps and generally soft core in recent times.
With new manager Unai Emery in charge though and clearly keen to rectify the defensive situation judging by the number of recruits over the summer in that area, could the Gunners be a tougher nut to crack this campaign?
Of course Laurent Koscielny’s absence through injury is a blow, with the Frenchman sidelined with an achilles injury and not expected to return until late 2018 or early 2019, but the recent acquisitions made by Emery and the club’s hierarchy have been impressive and indicate that their defensive frailties of the past were something the club were keen to address this summer.
Bernd Leno has joined from Bayer Leverkusen having made more than 230 appearances for the Bundesliga side and being capped by Germany at senior level, Sokratis Papastathopoulos joined from Borussia Dortmund, the vastly experienced Stephan Lichtsteiner has joined from Juventus and holding midfielders Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria and Matteo Guendouzi bought from French Ligue 2 side Lorient have also joined the new-look Gunners. Throw in the emergence of youngster Konstantinos Mavropanos towards the end of last season and the return of Koscielny to come and Arsenal’s defensive options have certainly increased, not just in terms of numbers but quality also.
Should Arsenal’s new-look defensive unit gel and provide the kind of protection required to win any major trophy, particularly the Premier League, then the Gunners could be a surprise package this campaign. There’s no doubting their quality at the other end of the pitch, with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan capable of damaging any team in Europe when on song. In fact, Aubameyang, who could be a real asset to Arsenal this season, is priced at 13/2 (bet365) to be top scorer in the Premier League and 16/1 to win the Premier League PFA Player of the Year.
As for Arsenal’s chances as a whole, expectations are certainly lower which could stand them in good stead. The option to get free betting with no deposit is available, with a number of bookmakers offering excellent odds on Arsenal being the surprise package and winning the Premier League this campaign. Although it’s perhaps unlikely, odds of 20/1 (bet365) represent fantastic value. A top four finish, a more realistic option you’d think, is priced at 2/1. A Europa League win, which could be a real possibility this season, is priced at 9/1 which represents excellent value once again.
Ultimately, time will tell with this new-look Arsenal team and until a competitive game is played they’re essentially an unknown proposition. But on paper, and if their signings are anything to go by, Emery is addressing the concerning areas of the past and potentially taking Arsenal up a level or two in the process – something that was so desperately required if the club were to mount any sort of challenge domestically and in Europe moving forward.
