Arsenal find themselves looking back at what could have been as their Premier League title race looks to have been run. The 3-0 home defeat to Brighton almost sealed their fate as Mikel Arteta’s side ran out of steam and in some departments, players.
Injuries to Gabriel Jesus, William Saliba and Thomas Partey at different points and periods throughout the season have proven costly to the Gunners’ cause. Despite bringing in serious reinforcement in both the summer and January transfer windows, it’s tricky not to look at some of the cheaper deals from 2022 that could’ve made a difference in the season.
Therefore, football.london takes a look at the three players who Arsenal could have swooped for last summer and could have made a serious difference during their title-challenging season. For context, all the options made a move in the summer of 2022 and for figures below £20million.
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Joao Palhinha
Signed from Sporting CP by Fulham for around €20m (£17.2m), Joao Palhinha has proven to be one of the stars of the season. The defensive midfielder proved just how valuable he was after a suspension left Fulham vulnerable and their hopes of European qualification evaporated.
Partey was missing for Arsenal away at Manchester United and in the crunch home title bout with Manchester City. Jorginho didn’t arrive until January and cost just around £5m less than his Portuguese counterpart.
Arsenal effectively admitted their backup to Partey was not up to the level of a title challenge having allowed Albert Sambi Lokonga to leave on loan in the winter. Had Palhinha been in the side from the get-go, maybe things would have gone differently.
Randal Kolo Muani
Potentially the best free transfer of the 2022 summer transfer window, Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt pounced to sign Randal Kolo Muani up from Nantes. His 22 goals and 15 assists this season in 43 games has been enough to tempt Bayern Munich to consider the Frenchman who made France’s World Cup squad.
Arsenal renewed the contract of Eddie Nketiah last summer and despite deputising well for the absent Gabriel Jesus, it is difficult not to theorise how the Brazilian’s absence may have been better coped with had Muani been in the squad. Not only that but the 6’2 then 23-year-old could have been a great option from the bench to add some physical presence in the late games against the likes of Southampton, Newcastle, Everton and Manchester United.
The Frenchman is now being touted as a potential £70million-plus player. Arsenal might need to be on the lookout for any free gems in the summer of 2023.
Armel Bella-Kotchap
Many attribute the key factor to Arsenal’s end-of-season defensive struggles and subsequent title woes to William Saliba’s injury and those who deputised in his place. Southampton, despite their relegation, signed now German full international Armel Bella-Kotchap for €10m (£8.6m) from VfL Bochum who gained plenty of plaudits for his performances in a very poor Saints side.
He, along with the likes of Romeo Lavia and James Ward-Prowse have been tipped for rescue missions in the transfer window to save them from the Championship. Yet, Arsenal could have picked him up for a bargain last summer and when the injury to Saliba came it wouldn’t have been Rob Holding playing, it would have been the German instead.
In some form of conclusion, and to provide context the expectation that any of what these players would have achieved this season is wildly subjective and there’s no guarantees this would have been replicated were they based in north London instead. Furthermore, this instead acts more as an insight into just how much quality you can get for a small or even zero fee attached to a player.
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