Arsenal have watched while challenging for the Premier League title as their former rivals struggle to qualify for a Champions League spot. Manchester United, Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea are all in the mix but the latter is rather a surprise after the humungous outlay on transfers.
Mikel Arteta outlasted yet another Chelsea manager after Graham Potter was relieved of his duties. With the former Brighton man behind them, attention turns to replacements and the favourite remains former Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Should the exciting young coach make the switch to West London, it is sure to have an impact on the league and specifically Arsenal. football.london takes a look at what three things we believe will 'definitely' happen should the German become Chelsea boss.
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Impacting the title race
Chelsea have played both Arsenal and Manchester City once this season. Ironically both side’s trips to them Potter’s Chelsea at Stamford Bridge ended in 1-0 victories.
Gabriel Magalhães scored for the Gunners whereas Riyad Mahrez got the goal for the Citizens. The games represented the shift of power in London and the confirmation that the Blues were no longer looked at as title challengers and instead on a project, at least until they sacked their head coach, to try and get back to the top again.
Both Arsenal and City will host Chelsea before the end of the season. The Blues visit the Emirates Stadium at the end of April on the 29th, whereas Man City host potentially Nagelsmann’s Chelsea in the penultimate game of the campaign which could be critical in the race for European places and the league title.
Arteta moves to third place
This would be undeniable should Nagelsmann arrive. The German, now 35 years of age, would become the youngest coach in the league.
Pushing Bournemouth’s 39-year-old Gary O’Neil to second and Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, 41, into third. The Gunners have so regularly been associated with having once the youngest coach in the league with one of the youngest squads but with how Chelsea have been investing in youth they could soon take both accolades from Arsenal.
Yet this is not something that would impact the Gunners in any way. Having a once-young squad is part of the process as they develop, grow and improve.
Maintaining that youthfulness is important with regards to transfers. Nagelsmann, once of RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim though has a great record of working with young players and they could be a good fit for Chelsea’s starlets.
The transfer rivalry continues
As mentioned, Chelsea have been spending huge amounts and within that tried and successfully stole away several Arsenal transfer targets and even one of their players. Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix, who the Gunners were very interested in, both moved to west London and in the previous summer, Omari Hutchinson left the youth team to return to Chelsea.
Nagelsmann has experience of signing players for a club on the rise like RB Leipzig but also one chasing the top honours such as Bayern. Chelsea will be focusing on aspects of both and Nagelsmann will draw from his prior work to best benefit his squad.
Arsenal will need to be prepared to do battle with the Blues again this summer and Edu Gaspar will need to come out on top. Especially with their ambitions of establishing themselves as regular title challengers.
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