When Erling Haaland crashed home Manchester City's fourth last Wednesday evening set up by second-half substitute Phil Foden the harsh reality of where Arsenal find themselves in their project hit. Despite sitting at the top of the Premier League table for nearly the entire season, the Gunners were humbled by their title rivals at Etihad Stadium which saw the advantage head to Manchester with just under a month remaining of the 2022/23 season.
As was evidenced by a screenshot of BBC pundits that predicted the Premier League's top four at the start of the season, many didn't even consider Arsenal to be in that race. Yet with five games remaining, a spot in next season's Champions League has already been sealed by Mikel Arteta's men.
While that is a superb accomplishment, Arsenal should not bask in that success but instead use it as fuel to strive for more. One way of ensuring that this is a prolonged spell at the top of English football for Arsenal is filling their squad with quality additions in the summer transfer window.
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Bringing in players that will immediately improve the first XI is of paramount importance while ensuring any additions fit the current system is also vital. But given the talent already in the squad, signing players that can help current stars get better could be the primary objective.
In midfield, two new signings in the coming windows looks likely and the role of captain Martin Odegaard in those deals cannot be understated. The Norway international is the perfect creator in Arteta's system but at times this season his qualities have been quenched.
Gabriel Jesus is a fantastic player in his own right, but it's completely fair to say that Odegaard performs better without him in the team. During the Brazilian's absence with a knee injury, the Arsenal skipper enjoyed a hot streak of form grabbing six goal contributions in as many games.
On the opposite side of the coin, Gabriel Martinelli becomes a more frightening forward than what he already he is with Jesus in the team and dropping deeper as it allows to expose the space in behind. If Arsenal are to continue with a midfield three, with Odegaard as the furthest forward, the two that accompany him must help his qualities come to light.
Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka do this perfectly but the duo will likely see injuries and fatigue creep in as their age increases. Ahead of the summer, Arsenal appear to have four targets in the engine room with primary target Declan Rice accompanied by Mason Mount, Moises Caicedo and Mohamed Kudus.
West Ham remaining in the top flight could see them demand a fee in the region close to £100m for Rice, while the Gunners have already tested the water for Caicedo seeing bids near £70million rejected in January. Chelsea's Mount emerged recently as new option for Arsenal with the Blues likely wanting a figure upwards of £60million to sell. As for Ajax midfielder Kudus, a previous target of Liverpool, he has been quoted as being valued at £48million.
In terms of how they would all fit in, Caicedo and Rice are more likely to fill the holding role, although the latter has proven he can have an impact in advanced positions. While Kudus and Mount are better suited to playing in roles further up the pitch, and therefore based on their preferences, it is on Arsenal to decide how they will conduct their summer business.
Acquiring both Rice and Caicedo would be difficult financially and if that proves to be the case, Arsenal need to make their decision based on what bests suits Odegaard. The same can be said between Mount and Kudus if that pair end up as serious options for the north Londoners.
Odegaard needs willing runners around him who can help gaps open that he can therefore spot and exploit. As has been proven by how Odegaard is impacted by the chosen striker, those that are deployed next to him must complement his strengths, not diminish them.
If Arsenal get their summer business right, particularly in midfield, more campaigns like this one will undoubtedly follow with the worry surrounding fatigue in the run-in significantly lower. Arsenal may lose out on the title come May 27, but the lessons both the squad and hierarchy have learnt will be invaluable.
The next step is the most crucial one and that will arrive in just a few months with the decisions made then likely to be felt for years to come and they should be done with how they impact Odegaard as one of the primary focuses.
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