Emery gets a B+

In a recent interview Unai Emery indicated that player transfers were complete, barring a very special opportunity.  With around £70m spent and the initial transfer kitty reported to be in the neighbourhood of £50m, I don’t think we’ll see any more players arrive.  And so we will assess the business to date.  Really the main areas needing strengthening did get the appropriate attention, and the only position overlooked was a winger.  Having said that, given the quality of the current offensive players it would have needed to be a proven talent which would have cost in excess of £50m, and so it is understandable that this didn’t happen.

Summary of Transfers

Bernd Leno – €25m

Sokaratis Papastathopoulos – €16m

Lucas Torreira – €30m

Matteo Guendouzi – €8m

Stephan Lichsteiner – free transfer

(transfer fees as per transfermarkt)

The first singing was Lichsteiner, which I am still not sure what to make of.  I do not see him playing much, but his experience could be an asset.  As it was a free transfer and there isn’t a clear back up for Bellerin I think it is a reasonable signing.

The next two transfers were no surprise, Leno and Papstathopoulos, as Arsenal were in dire need of a central defender and a goalkeeper.  Although Ospina is a solid keeper somehow it was always clear that he would not follow Cech as the new number one, and as for Cech it is obvious that his best years have passed.

The third signing, Torreira, was also in line with defensive reinforcements.  The defensive midfield position has been a problem for years now so it was good that it was addressed.  It will be interesting to see Emery’s strategy of playing Torreira and Xhaka together as both players naturally prefer a deeper lying position.  Xhaka has not displayed the qualities necessary to play as the lone defensive midfielder, and although Emery may see Xhaka filling the role of a deep lying playmaker in the same vane as Santi Cazorla, I am not sure Xhaka will excel here either.  Assuming Mesut Ozil retains the number 10 role, it is also unclear how he will play Ramsey in the central midfield.  And how Emery will fit Ainsley Maitland-Niles into the equation is a conundrum, but Maitland-Niles inclusion in the first team is a must for me.

Finally the transfer of Guendouzi from Lorient is a bit of a surprise.  The 19 year old is highly rated, but with Torreira only 22 and Maitland-Niles 20, how Guendouzi will be breaking into the first team any time soon is perplexing.  I think Xhaka will get his chance this year, but having said that, if he doesn’t come good it behoves us to have a couple of talented young central players waiting in the wings.  Emery must see something special in the young Frenchman, still it may have been prudent for him to stay on loan with Lorient for the year to develop further as first team opportunities will be hard to come by.  Perhaps Lorient’s relegation from Ligue 1 was enough for Emery to think Guendouzi would benefit more at the Emirates.  I like this move, however, as I personally prefer the acquisition of young players over costly superstars, but I wonder if looking for a wide offensive player may have made more sense.  This might be old fashioned thinking, or Wengeresque, but there’s something satisfying about finding a diamond in the rough and watching him slowly start to shine.   Emery has proven to have an eye for young talent during his time at Valencia and Sevilla and perhaps he is onto something here.
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The Verdict

B+

We give Emery a B+ for his first transfer window in charge.  Really Emery has done very well with the limited funds at his disposal.  The window brought in a goalie in his prime with many good years ahead of him, as well as significant experienced and young defensive players.  Before the window opened everyone would have agreed that these were the musts on Arsenal’s wish list, and so it was pretty good business.  With the likes of Aubameyang, Lacazette, Ozil, Ramsey, Mikhitaryan, and some very strong young players in the offensive ranks, any acquisitions on this end of the pitch would have been a luxury.  However, assuming the defensive reinforcements pan out, I think a wide offensive player will be a priority in the next transfer windows.