We’re now four years into Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal tenure and he hasn’t made too many mistakes with any player he’s allowed to leave the club....
We’re now four years into Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal tenure and he hasn’t made too many mistakes with any player he’s allowed to leave the club.
Arteta and Edu Gaspar have worked brilliantly in their transfer windows as a whole, even if they had to focus on short-term additions early on.
Perhaps the only criticism of this new era has been the relatively small fees Arsenal have recouped when moving players on – something that is relevant to the three players soon to be mentioned.
And for this feature Arsenal Insider will be looking at the three players Mikel Arteta should now bring back to Arsenal.
And we’ll start with a familiar name, Serge Gnabry.
The 28-year-old is now a star for Bayern Munich, a player with 45 caps and 22 goals for Germany.
Gnabry left Arsenal during the Arsene Wenger era, a player the club couldn’t convince to stay.
The winger wanted first team chances, something he wasn’t receiving at Arsenal despite his rich potential.
And having initially joined Werder Bremen, it didn’t take Gnabry long to return to the top of the game.
Moreover, at a price tag of around £34m, Gnabry could be an excellent player to dove-tail with both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Mikel Arteta could use a player like Donyell Malen at Arsenal right now
And that brings us to our second name, 24-year-old Donyell Malen.
The Dutch forward left Arsenal in 2017 having never experienced a real first team opportunity in North London.
Malen was long-considered the gem of Arsenal’s academy, a player they had recruited from Ajax.
However, in a similar fate to Serge Gnabry, Malen simply didn’t get the chances he needed in order to make the next step.
And with Malen now an important part of this Dortmund side, and often linked with the likes of Liverpool, he could provide great competition at Arsenal.
Not only could Malen compete with Saka on the right, but he could also backup Gabriel Jesus through the middle.
It’s also time to bring back a legend…
Come to the floor, Wojciech Szczesny.
The 33-year-old Polish stopper has always remained fond in the heart of Arsenal fans since he left the club in 2017.
A £10m move transpired to be an excellent one for the keeper who has now amassed over 230 appearances for Juventus.
And when you consider that Szczesny also made 132 appearances for Arsenal in the Premier League, he’s fairly experienced by this point.
And with Aaron Ramsdale’s Arsenal future uncertain in 2024, Mikel Arteta could certainly use a player like Szczesny.
David Raya’s struggles at the club are well documented, even if Arteta and Inaki Cana have a lot of faith in their Spaniard.
But with this season’s title push in mind, three-time Serie A winner Szczesny could be a huge boost.
He may not be as proficient as Raya is with his feet, but he could certainly be an imposing figure behind Arsenal’s already impressive back line.