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Kaya Kaynak

Nicolas Pepe awful, Martin Odegaard stars, Bukayo Saka superb - Arsenal season player ratings

Aaron Ramsdale: Proved many of his doubters wrong with an excellent start after controversially arriving from Sheffield United. Struggled to maintain that form in the second half of the season unfortunately, but has still revolutionised the way Arsenal play out from the back. 8.

Bernd Leno: Could have reacted poorly to being immediately displaced in the starting line up after not doing too much to let Arsenal down in his three seasons prior. Stayed professional though and impressed against Aston Villa when called upon. Leaves the club with plenty of well wishes. 6.

Takehiro Tomiyasu: Probably Arsenal's signing of the summer - and there's plenty of competition in that department. Defensively immaculate and technically excellent he instantly transformed the right back position from one of weakness into one of strength. Sadly injuries prohibited him from scoring higher and the Gunners will be hopeful his muscle problems are behind him. 8.

READ MORE: What Mikel Arteta said to the Arsenal players at half time as Gunners make first summer moves

Cedric: Barely involved for the first part of the season, but stepped up for the most part in the second when Tomiyasu was out. Formed an impressive partnership with Saka and Odegaard down the right wing. 7.

Calum Chambers: Went into the season as the Gunners' starting right back, but lost that position quickly with a few poor performances. Stayed professional with limited game time and was a popular goalscorer with his first touch against Leeds in the Carabao Cup. Left with the club's blessing in January. 6.

Ben White: A really impressive debut season from the England international who was written off by most pretty much before even kicking a ball. He has shown that he is able to excel at the dirtier side of being a defender, while maintaining the dribbling aspect to his game that enables Arsenal to break down opposition presses. 8.

Rob Holding: A really good season for Rob Holding who became almost a cheat code at points to help Arsenal see out tight victories. However, it's impossible to judge him without it being marred by the catastrophic North London Derby display. 7.

Gabriel: A superb second season in England for Gabriel who really came into his own as a leader in the backline. Physically excellent and decent enough on the ball he has all the attributes to be integral to the Arsenal backline for years to come if the Gunners are able to keep a hold of him. 8.

Pablo Mari: Started the season awfully with back-to-back stinkers against Brentford and Chelsea. Never recovered and was sent out on loan to Udinese in January. His Arsenal career appears likely to be over. 5.

Sead Kolasinac: Brought back from the brink despite seemingly having kicked his last ball for Arsenal to bizarrely start the Premier League clash against Manchester City. It did not end well. The fact that the Gunners effectively paid him to leave in January shows how desperate they were to move him on. 5.

Nuno Tavares: A real mixed debut campaign for the 22-year-old. Started well and forced his way into the team around November, but then barely played after that. Appeared to lose Mikel Arteta's trust after being hooked off against Nottingham Forest and never fully convinced defensively from that point on despite some good work going forward. 6.

Kieran Tierney: Different season same story for Kieran Tierney who was blighted by injury at the business end of the campaign. Was criticised by many for not getting forward with his usual verve, but was actually excelling in a more withdrawn role after Tomiyasu's injury in January, and showed what a well rounded player he is when fit. 7.

Thomas Partey: The Ghanaian arguably got into the best form of his career between December and March, proving himself to be arguably Arsenal's only world class player in the number six position that enabled a switch to the 4-3-3 system. That though was sandwiched between another two injury affected periods that the Gunners desperately need him to overcome. 8.

Albert Sambi Lokonga: Started the season well and was probably given more minutes than expected when Granit Xhaka picked up his knee injury. Some real learning moments in that period such as the second half display at Anfield, but then again there aren't too many 22-year-old's being trusted to play as a six in such a hostile environment. Looks more comfortable as an eight for now. Arsenal fans shouldn't write him off as there's clearly a player in there. 7.

Granit Xhaka: The decision to offer Granit Xhaka a contract extension was greeted by many with horror, but this season the Swiss international has shown how justified that was. The red cards were a frustrating feature early on, but with consistent and honest displays in the middle of the park he appears to have won many Arsenal fans over. Voted player of the month for April and is a captain without wearing the armband. 8.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles: Forced to stay against his will in the closing days of the summer window, Maitland-Niles did well to come in and impress in central midfield in a few league games. Allowed to leave for a disappointing loan spell in January, and it's hard not to wonder if Arsenal could have used his versatility towards the business end of the season instead. 6.

Charlie Patino: A fairy tale debut for the 18-year-old who netted inside minutes of coming on against Sunderland in the Carabao Cup. Went on to endure a difficult time on his first start against Nottingham Forest before suffering an injury, but is still one of the brightest prospects coming out of Hale End right now. 7.

Mohamed Elneny: Barely featured before the final two months of the season, but played his way into a contract extension with some impressive form. His irrepressible professionalism was a huge factor in his new deal too. 7.

Martin Odegaard: Started a little slowly, finding himself out of the team as Mikel Arteta experimented with a 4-4-2, but once he got going the Norwegian was unstoppable. The best Premier League season for chance creation of any Arsenal player for years. The Gunners have solved the endemic creativity issues that plagued them last year and owe that to Odegaard's sublime form. 8.

Emile Smith Rowe: A frustrating end to this season should not hide the excellent form with which this season begun for Smith Rowe. The Hale Ender is Arsenal's second top scorer having added end product to his game, and if he can stay fit for longer, then the Gunners have a real asset on their hands. 8.

Gabriel Martinelli: It was a frustrating start to the season for the Brazilian who seemed miles off the first team, but after being thrown in around December, he made certain that he was going to stay there this time around. After securing himself a spot though, Martinelli's goal record did start to dry up in a disappointing manner, but the signs are there that he can deliver on his potential despite what was a worrying season at times last time out. 8.

Nicolas Pepe: After an end to last season it seemed that this year was ginally going to be the one where Nicolas Pepe might deliver on his Arsenal potential. That did not turn out to be the case. The Ivorian hasn't started a game of any kind for the Gunners since December, and despite an impressive cameo against Wolves, other frustrating sub appearances against the likes of Aston Villa, Leeds and Newcastle seem to have damned his Emirates career. 4.

Alexandre Lacazette: To say Alexandre Lacazette didn't contribute at Arsenal this season wouldn't be fair. The Frenchman ends the season as the club's top assister and his leadership of an extremely young Gunners dressing room during a turbulent period in the aftermath of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's departure cannot be underestimated. However, two league goals from open play across a Premier League season is simply not good enough. It's hard not to wonder what might have been if Arsenal had secured a more potent striker in the January window. 6.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: The 32-year-old started the season seemingly more motivated than ever before and was praised by Mikel Arteta for his unprecedented workrate. However, the goals continued to be in short supply and another disciplinary run in saw the end to his Arsenal career. Could the Gunners have used his threat in the second half of the season? Definitely. Were they right to let him go? Probably. A complex season to analyse. 5.

Eddie Nketiah: Despite doubts from many over his ability to make the step up, Nketiah maintained his conviction that if he was given a run in the team, he could deliver. After finally getting that at the back end of the season, he has been proven right. The record of five goals in eight league starts in an impressive one, and he has finally answered questions over whether he can score goals on the biggest stage. Whether that comes too late for his Arsenal career remains to be seen. 8.

Bukayo Saka: It may be hard to believe now but some people were doubting whether Bukayo Saka may suffer a hangover from his tumultuous summer with England. Since returning to Arsenal though, the 20-year-old (yes he's only 20!) has been simply sublime, ranking as the Gunners' top goalscorer and delivering consistently in big matches. Getting him to stay in North London now simply has to be the club's biggest priority this summer. 9.

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