On April 15th, Jurgen Klopp let the football world know that he would be leaving Dortmund at the end of the season. The erratic, passionate and outspoken German has earned many admirers with his BVB team’s heavy counter pressing style aided by their decisive and efficient final third play, despite their more recent league struggles. Klopp over the years as Dortmund’s manager has been able to foster a feeling of camaraderie amongst players in the team, there was a togetherness and a level of respect. He had a way of impacting team unison which either made the players fond of him or the shirt they represent.
Even so, this level of man management was unable to stop high level departures from during his tenure. The likes of Sahin and Kagawa —both of which ended up returning —Gotze, and Lewandowski, went on to bigger teams, so despite the club having a final say in transfer dealings, players may feel it’s time to make that big move for their career considering that one of the main tying factors to the club is about to leave.
Arsenal meanwhile, since January, have looked comfortable, strong and healthy, showing no real need for additions. With Francis Coquelin’s rise through the ranks and the acquisition of the Brazilian Gabriel, it can be interpreted that this the first time in years that Arsenal have had solid cover in all departments.
Unfortunately for fans who adopt this mindset, football is dynamic and never stops evolving, the minute one rests on their laurels they are left behind. Man City’s current form is a good example of such a mantra. This now opens the discussion for new additions to the squad but as expected, Arsenal should bypass bargain buys and look towards the elites, in order to bolster sufficiently. The squad should be set up in a manner where only world class talents can come on and earn a spot in the starting 11 and fortunately for Arsenal, Dortmund have 3 or 4 players who meet the requisite standard and the club must move quickly.
Let’s begin with the midfield. As was mentioned earlier, Coquelin has been an absolute revelation in the defensive midfield department and the Frenchman has also made strides in ball retention and playmaking to an extent, so given his exploits so far the team should maintain their faith in him. The real problem lies with his replacements, Arteta and Flamini. Arteta is the club captain, but it must be said that despite his playmaking skills from deep, his age and inability to cover has made him a bit of liability and with Coquelin’s growth and a lingering contract negotiation, he’s not guaranteed to be at Arsenal next season. Flamini is also out of a contract come the end of the season, and simply put, he’s just not good enough for the club anymore. With poor tackles, a tendency to drop too deep and pointless pointing and shouting the norm, he must be shipped out.
The player from Dortmund that Arsenal may be keen to bring in as a replacement for the aforementioned duo at a reasonable price is Sven Bender. Arsenal have been keen on him and his twin brother for quite some time now, with his brother, Lars, rejecting a move to the Gunners in the past few years. Sven offers a great box to box presence as a tough tackler, with brilliant reading of the game and physical presence. His injury record does cause concern but he’d be a great addition and be the ideal player to offer competition to Coquelin in the squad.
Keeping it in the midfield, fan favourite Tomas Rosicky and the ever unfortunate Abou Diaby also have contract issues. Rosicky’s age is one problem while Diaby’s health is another. At 34, we have to wonder how much Rosicky has left in his legs, especially in the Premier league. He offers drive, great energy, fantastic playmaking, great defensive work rate and replacing him would prove tough but not impossible. Diaby similarly would offer all of those elements in addition to his Yaya Toure-esque physique.
Abou when fit is an absolute powerhouse midfielder, and could possibly push Arsenal over the line the level they aspire to be at if on form and playing frequently. However the records show that Arsenal simply cannot depend on him to be fit or even reach the levels necessary to hold a place in the squad and with his wages being a reasonable argument against keep Diaby at the club, Arsenal again could move sharply and look to BVB for the perfect replacement/addition.
The name of said perfect acquisition is Ilkay Gundogan. A fantastic passer and playmaker, he reads the game well to cut out passes and is very much a multifaceted midfield player, being able to occupy various responsibilities. Gudongan as a player would be ideal and again puts more pressure on others to perform in order to start. Unfortunately for Arsenal, the player is being courted by other teams, such as Real Madrid and Manchester United and considering his immense talent we cannot rule out heavy hitters such as Man City and Bayern.
Moving towards the forward department, Arsenal certainly doesn’t lack bodies or “depth”, but bodies don’t improve the squad, quality does. Perhaps the player most fans would choose to add to the squad regardless is Marco Reus. Reus is a phenomenal player, possessing great agility, vision, pace, positioning and an immense goal scoring threat. His versatility in the front line as well, is something Wenger would be keen on considering how he pivots Arsenal’s current wide forward options centrally from time to time. Reus is a world class addition that would see Arsenal make another large step and statement as they seek to cement their place among the elite. Current club options such as Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott, simply just haven’t show the ability of the German. In the last 5 seasons Reus has never failed to score double digits and in three of those five seasons he has scored fifteen or more goals. That level of consistency in and around the goal is only exhibited by elite players. In addition to that Reus has a shown his playmaking ability grabbing 13 assists with his 16 goals scored last season. The addition of Reus to the Arsenal squad would see them make significant strides as an attacking force but ultimately a player of his quality won’t come cheap or without other bidders, with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City said to be among the possibly candidates for his signature.
Other notable mentions from their club would be Mats Hummels and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, with the latter being the likeliest to join having already been an Arsenal target. However the addition of Gabriel to the Arsenal squad means there is no need to spend top dollar on a defender. Ultimately the three players mentioned above are the ones who are likeliest to help push Arsenal towards having a more complete and gifted squad capable of matching up with the European elites.
