Clumsy, slow & toothless, Gyokeres is not the answer

THIS is a big season for Arsenal and an even bigger one for Mikel Arteta.

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The Basque is a clever coach with a stubborn streak. In charge since December 2019, he has turned around a club that finished fifth, sixth, fifth in the three seasons before he arrived into one that has been Premier League runner-up across the last three seasons.

That's unmistakable progress yet at big clubs, progress isn’t enough. Only silverware is deemed acceptable.

In terms of history, stadium size, tradition and support-base, Arsenal are a big club.

But they don't spend like one.

All their recent successes in the transfer market — David Raya from Brentford, Declan Rice from West Ham, Ben White and Leondro Trossard from Brighton, Gabriel from Lille, William Saliba from Saint-Etienne, Gabriel Martinelli from Ituano and Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid — had, by and large, two things in common.

Firstly, with the exception of Rice, they all came cheap.

Secondly, with the exception of Odegaard, they all came from much smaller clubs.

Joining Arsenal was the making of them, the chance to change their lives. They all took the opportunity.

While this says a lot about Arteta who signed them all, bar Saliba and Martinelli, a black mark against the Arsenal manager has been his fetish for taking in Chelsea and Manchester City castoffs.

Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jorginho and Raheem Sterling have all arrived from those two clubs. But have any of those worked?

Some might say Havertz has. Others that Gabriel Jesus has been unfortunate with injuries.