Over the course of the last few weeks, the team at Last Word on Football has given you our Team of the Decade and Worst Team of the Decade series. This time, however, we bring you a new series that relates to this season only. Today, we’re going to go over every player that Arsenal has signed over the course of the summer and winter transfer windows and rate them out of ten.
The Gunners have seen a total of eight players join them this season, with vast ranges of age and ability. This season was going to be a tough one for the Gunners, even with the new signings. They had recently suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat at the hands of London rivals, Chelsea, in the Europa League final. Therefore, new signings were made to solidify the squad in almost every area. This, however, did not translate to immediate success overall. Arsenal remains slumped in ninth place as of the season being suspended.
We at LWOF are going to look at Arsenal’s signings this season. And, with that, we will rate whether or not they were shining lights in a season of darkness.
Arsenal Signings This Season Rated
Arsenal’s First Signing: Gabriel Martinelli – 8.5/10
What a breakthrough it has been for generational talent Gabriel Martinelli. Arriving this season, many fans thought he’d just be another loanee or youth season star, similar to the likes of Miguel Azeez or Xavier Amaechi. However, Martinelli, at just 18-years-old, makes a claim that he should be starting every week. He has 10 goals this term and could have had more if the season were to go on in full.
Arsenal Loanee: William Saliba – N/A
A £27 million signing from Saint Etienne, William Saliba was immediately sent back to the French club on loan for the season. With that, he has impressed in Ligue 1 and has shown an immense amount of promise for when he officially joins in and gets some Premier League game time under their belt.
Dani Ceballos – 6.5/10
The first loan deal to arrive at Arsenal was Dani Ceballos. On loan from Real Madrid, he was tipped to replace the now-departed Aaron Ramsey. He even donned the number eight shirt for the season. The Spaniard started brightly, but had to deal with injury woes at a serious time during his Arsenal career, and has seen limited game time under Mikel Arteta.
However, he has improved in form and has earned more game time and looks like the player we brought him in to be. A decent season for Ceballos.
Record Transfer for Arsenal: Nicolas Pepe – 6/10
He gets a lower score than Ceballos just due to his price-tag hype alone. Nicolas Pepe became Arsenal’s record transfer, arriving from Lille for £72 million. But he hasn’t played every game as if he were worth that much. He has had flashes of brilliance, like those two free-kicks in the Europa League, as well as a few goals and assists. But this is definitely a season that’s meant for him to adapt to the English game. His performances, disregarding the adapting-factor, only garner him a six out of ten.
David Luiz – 7/10
David Luiz arrived for £8 million from Chelsea in the summer in a deal that confused many. Fans would not have been faulted for thinking that the Luiz deal was a panic buy from the Gunners. Although he has impressed on a good few different occasions, there are times where he has been error-prone. However, under manager Mikel Arteta, he has improved and has become a pivotal part of Arsenal’s backline alongside Shkodran Mustafi.
Kieran Tierney – 5/10
The other summer deadline day transfer was Scottish left-back Kieran Tierney. He had signed after yet another terrific season with Celtic and, despite recovering from a groin injury, was eagerly awaited by fans to make his debut. However, after starting a few games on the bounce after his groin problem, he suffered a dislocated shoulder against West Ham United, ruling him for months. We haven’t seen enough of Tierney to give him a higher score. Good on his day, but for this season, his days have been barraged by injury.
Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares – 3/10
The January transfer window saw Arsenal sign two defenders on loan: Pablo Mari from Flamengo and Cedric Soares from Southampton. It’s sad to see how little game time Mari has gotten. Although, he has been impressive in the two games he’s played for the club. Cedric simply could not and has not played. Underwhelming, but could be ones to watch for next season if they sign permanently.
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