Ultimately, a lack of squad depth contributed to their loss of form at the crucial latter stages of the campaign.
However, Mikel Arteta is set to formulate another title bid, with Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, and Kai Havertz having been added to the team. The club is also on the verge of completing a deal for Brentford goalkeeper David Raya as Arsenal prepare to play Champions League football for the first time since 2017.
The North Londoners still have room to be active in the transfer market, with Mohammed Kudus linked to the Emirates Stadium.
What’s the latest on Mohammed Kudus to Arsenal?
According to the Daily Star, Arteta is still keen to bolster his midfield options, with Kudus on the shortlist.
Last week, Brighton had reached an agreement in principle with Ajax to sign the 23-year-old for a fee in the region of €40m (£34.5m), which would be a club-record purchase, surpassing the £30m that was paid for Joao Pedro.
The article had stated that Kudus was ‘close’ to agreeing personal terms with the Seagulls, with Roberto De Zerbi viewing the playmaker as a ‘key target.’
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how the Ghanaian will react if the high-flying Gunners initiate formal contact. His repertoire and adaptability would make him an esteemed addition to any side.
Would Mohammed Kudus be a good signing for Arsenal?
The 5 foot 9 livewire has been at Ajax since 2020, but last term he emphatically rose to European prominence in what was a stirring breakout season.
Arguably his most attractive trait is his impressive versatility - as per The Athletic in their series of profiling 50 exciting players under the age of 25 - the attacker has accumulated 2,272 minutes since the start of the 2021/22 season, playing 22% of the time as a striker, 40% as a right-winger and 35% in midfield roles.
This type of player closely mirrors what Kai Havertz also supposedly offers Arsenal. The German moved to North London earlier in the window, after spending three seasons at Chelsea.
With the Blues, the German was most often deployed as a centre-forward, and despite netting the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final, he failed to produce any notable or long-lasting consistency.
But, Arteta views the former Bayer Leverkusen prodigy as an advanced eight, who can drift into attacking phases of play from a deeper position with more freedom, instead of being rigidly cemented as a focal point.
Nevertheless, Havertz began the recent Community Shield match as the striker, which shows that Arteta will also consider fielding him up top if needs be.
Kai-Havertz-Arsenal
Interestingly, the possible arrival of Kudus would also afford the Spanish coach this kind of luxury.
Therefore, the 24-cap international would be a tremendously exciting signing that could trump Havertz’s influence and proposed role.
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