Emmanuel Petit names three Arsenal transfer ‘concerns’ that still need fixing before deadline
Emmanuel Petit has highlighted three major issues that Arsenal still need to address prior to the transfer window closing, if they are to go to the next level under Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners laid down a marker for the defence of their Premier League title by coasting to a 3-0 win over newly-promoted Coventry City on Friday evening, a matter of days after they also eased past Manchester City in the Community Shield in Cardiff.
Having spent fairly modestly leading up to the close of the window on September 1, with Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa all arriving to bolster an already strong squad, Petit still feels there are three key areas that Arsenal transfer chiefs should consider strengthening – including, surprisingly, at centre-back, despite the Konsa addition.
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“Look at the midfield players at Arsenal, Merino and Zubimendi are World and European Champions,” Petit told Grosvenor Sport.
“Then you have Bruno Guimaraes, who is for me one of the best midfield players in the Premier League.
“Look at Martin Odegaard; he is playing with the same quality I saw during the World Cup. I hope he avoids injury, but you have so many great players with that same style of football.
“You can also add Declan Rice to that list of great midfield players, so I’m not worried about that area. I have no doubt that Arteta will find the perfect solution for rotation.
Petit still has minor Arsenal concerns
“They have so many games to play that everyone will be happy and get their chance. My only concern for Arsenal is the central defensive positions.”
“I also think we should add a striker and perhaps one more left winger. If Tzolis is injured, who else can play there? Trossard is no longer at the club and Martinelli is going to leave, so who takes that spot?
“If Tzolis were to be sidelined you would be missing a key player. I believe adding at least two or three more players would be good for Arsenal.
“If they do that, I think they can achieve back-to-back success, much like Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
“They have the confidence and they now know they can win trophies, having already won the Premier League.
“They reached the Champions League final and know they have the quality to compete against the top teams in Europe.
“That confidence and happiness is very important. When I watched the Community Shield, they looked really happy to be playing together, which is something that can be very difficult to establish at the start of a season.
“The core squad and the spine of the team remain the same from last season, so I truly believe Arsenal will win the title again.”
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