By the end of 2024-25, Arsenal supporters must have grown sick to the back teeth of that same old ditty. Fans of teams far, far below their position in the Premier League table were rocking up to the Emirates Stadium and singing ‘second again, ole ole’. Indeed, the Gunners were on their way to another second-place finish, tying the record they themselves set in the days of Arsene Wenger for most consecutive runners-up placements in English top-flight history.
We can throw all of the valid excuses out there to defend Arsenal’s campaign, be they injury-related or otherwise, but ultimately history will deem last season as a failure. Mikel Arteta recognised that in a vengeful and aggressive speech after their last home game, while he also made reference to transfer plans after their Champions League elimination at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
For me it’s crystal clear what we have to do, to be better and to increase the probability [of winning],” he said. “Nobody can say ‘you do this and you win the league, or you win the Champions League’. No manager, no owner is going to sit in a press conference in front of everybody and say that, because the margin is so small, and not only that but a lot of things have to go your way to achieve that.”
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We have to start with Arsenal’s pursuit of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. If you have any Gunners fans in your life, then you will have noticed how their stress levels have been increasing over the status of a deal which was supposedly one step from completion, only for the Spain international to act coy when quizzed on it this week.
“Of course there are options, but it’s true that it seems like it’s going to be a different, long summer, and I don’t know how it will end,” he told Radiogaceta de los Deportes on Tuesday. “I don’t think thinking about that right now is my priority. I’m here with the national team, which I think is already quite demanding, and if I have to say something, then I will.
Now, despite this cryptic admission, reports coming from both Spain and England insist the deal is not in jeopardy, despite the possibility of Real Madrid – now managed by Zubimendi’s idol and former coach, Xabi Alonso – hanging over negotiations. Still, it would be best for Arsenal to wrap this up sooner rather than later.
Zubimendi is expected to serve as Arsenal’s long-term replacement for Jorginho, who will return to Brazil with Flamengo on a free transfer, as a metronomic midfielder. It’s often forgotten how important the Italian playmaker was in Arteta’s system during the second half of 2023-24 when they ripped off a run of 16 wins from 18 league games, and so it makes sense to bring in a successor of the same archetype to freshen up the squad again.
Elsewhere, Arsenal are reportedly in talks with Leandro Trossard over a lengthy contract extension, which boggles the mind for several reasons. Though he is one of the squad’s most reliable fitness bets, featuring in all 38 Premier League games last season as part of 56 in total, there were notable signs of struggle when it came to replicating his scintillating form of his first 18 months in N5, and with 12 months left on his deal, now is the perfect time to cash in or decide this will be the last dance in a reduced role. Ultimately, if Arsenal are relying on Trossard to play 56 times again in 2025-26, it is unlikely they will lift the Premier League trophy come May.
The same can be said of 52-appearance Thomas Partey, whose contract expires at the end of the month after his 32nd birthday and has been linked with a move back to Spain with Barcelona, despite Arteta admitting he would like to keep the midfielder. Whether the Ghanaian stays or goes, he is entering a different stage of his career and can’t be relied upon in the same way either.
Arsenal are in a tricky position with their squad in general because Arteta admitted it needed streamlining last summer, though the flip-side meant they were unnecessarily stretched when it came to battling injuries, and you can’t rule out that increasing that workload contributed to the crisis. Regardless, fresh legs and impetus are needed to get up and go again.
