Mikel Arteta has walked into a difficult situation by becoming head coach at Arsenal.
The Gunners are looking at a fourth year without Champions League football and all the lucrative benefits that come with it.
Rumours persist about the team’s best players wanting out, while financially Arsenal are not in a position to attract top talent to replace them.
Despite this, Arteta is focused on making the best of what he has at his disposal. He has lost just one of 10 league games since his appointment and, more importantly, has coaxed improved performances out of players who had struggled previously.
The likes of David Luiz, Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka have all impressed under the new boss, so one wonders what Arteta might have done with some of the players Arsenal have allowed to leave in recent years…
Aaron Ramsey
The Welshman left the Gunners for Juventus in the summer of 2019 after failing to agree a new deal in north London. With Arsenal linked with a number of midfielders and question marks surrounding the futures of Lucas Torriera and Mesut Ozil, Arteta would love to still have the dynamism of Ramsey to call upon.
Jack Wilshere
Once touted as the future of English football, injuries plagued Wilshere’s time at Arsenal. Even since leaving for West Ham in 2018, he has struggled for anything approaching full fitness.
However, in a fantasy world where the midfielder could stay fit, Arteta could have helped mould his former team-mate into a top-class star.
Santi Cazorla
Another midfielder who played with Arteta but also suffered from extensive injury problems, the 35-year-old has had a new lease of life since returning to Spain in 2018.
In fact, Cazorla is on course to have played more matches in two years at Villarreal than in his final four in north London. A player of Cazorla’s ability and experience would be a useful component in Arteta’s squad in the short term at least.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
While his time at the Emirates wasn’t a complete disaster, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s improvement playing in his preferred central position at Liverpool suggests the Gunners didn’t get the best out of him.
He’s another who could function in an attacking midfield position for an Arsenal team that is crying out for more output in that area.
Serge Gnabry
The German’s ascension in recent years makes his exit from the Emirates one of the most galling transfer errors Arsenal have made in recent seasons.
Since allowing Gnabry to leave for Werder Bremen in 2016, Arsenal have had to watch their former forward become one of the most dangerous players in his position in the Bundesliga, where he now stars for Bayern Munich.
Possessing the pace and directness Arteta wants from his wide players, Gnabry would be an essential part of the Arsenal manager’s plans.
Although Nicolas Pepe currently occupies the right-wing position Gnabry favours, the latter’s flexibility could see him just as easily play on the left or through the centre as an attacking midfielder.
