The Guardian’s fans network looks ahead to the new season: fresh talent, weak links, and who will be sacked first
Optimism abounds in London N5. I had some doubts about Arteta’s ability to keep motivating this group, but this summer’s heavy spend should fix that, reinvigorating the squad. Only time will tell whether the new faces can gel and develop chemistry, but it’s a relief to have the clamour for a centre-forward answered at last. Hopefully come May we’ll be lauding Victor’s veni, vidi, vici Premier League triumph.
Key players/weak links? Keeping our star turns fit – Gabriel, Rice and Saka – remains crucial. Beyond that there are lots of unknowns. Can Ødegaard rekindle his role as our creator-in-chief, or will Nwaneri force his way in? Can Zubimendi form an effective partnership with Declan Rice and impose himself as our midfield fulcrum? Will Martinelli, Trossard and Madueke chip in with the 10‑15 goals required to alleviate our reliance on Saka, thereby reducing the burden on Gyökeres? And how much will we see much of our 15-year-old prodigy Max Dowman?
We still need to sign … Nobody will complain if the spending stops here, after half a dozen new arrivals already. But there would also be few arguments if the club managed to land an Eze-like bonus too.
