Arsenal’s season has been a mixed bag. They started with three straight defeats but stabilized along the way. When it seemed they should be going for the kill, they wilted at a very crucial moment. In the end, a fifth-place finish could be viewed as a failure but there are a lot of positives to build on.
The Gunners were firm favorites to finish in the top four towards the final stages of the season but defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United dimmed the dream. The two losses showed Arsenal still lacked the mental strength to hold out for a Champions League place, let alone be in the Champions League.
Not even the huge win over Everton on the final day was enough to lift spirits but there is hope, looking at the improvement compared to the last two seasons when Arsenal finished eighth. In three of the last six seasons, their tally of 69 points would have been enough to see the Gunners qualify for the Champions League. The work is still on, and you can bet on Mikel Arteta to build on this.
The North London side has lined up top preseason activities to prepare for the coming campaign. This presents a good chance for gamers to take advantage of one of the top bookies – 1XBet, a site with consistently competitive odds and a variety of options in sports, not just football. Moreover, it comes with the 1XBet bonus, which as reviewed on SportyTrader, offers up to $130 in bonuses for first deposits on new registration. With Arsenal facing Everton, Chelsea, Orlando City, and Sevilla, this can be a good avenue to make the bonus count.
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Arsenal have had the youngest squad by average this season – 25 years old – and for that to push to finish fifth should be commended. They now only need to beef up the squad with more experienced players and serial winners to boost the emotional balance of the young players.
The exodus in January and a lack of new signings coming in has been a lesson for Arteta. He’s had to play with a thin squad, exposed by injuries to Takehiro Tomiyasu, Thomas Partey, and Kieran Tierney. It has been a hard lesson for the young Spaniard and you can bet on him learning from it. We expect Arsenal to invest in greater squad depth, as well as letting go of the deadwood.
Playing in the Europa League on Thursdays will for sure be draining for Arsenal and they have no option but to strengthen. Last summer, they targeted players aged around 23 and most of them have done well in the season. Arteta, who recently signed a new deal, will not be keen to upstage that but inject into it more quality for an even busier campaign ahead.
The wage bill is another consideration for Arsenal as they plan for a better campaign. It is hard to balance these things; keeping the wage bill low while at the same time keeping ambitions high. The Gunners are expected to slash their wage bill substantially with the expected exits of Alex Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe, and Bernd Leno, but they must get adequate replacements, in terms of experience, maturity, and better ability while seeing that the wage bill remains manageable.
