Premier League Preview: Arsenal

Last Season: 4th

Pre-Season Prediction: 3rd - The fourth-placed trophy will slip away, as unfortunately will the title.

Last season Arsenal claimed two trophies, their coveted fourth placed trophy and, more importantly, the FA Cup trophy. With their 3-2 victory in the final over Hull, they broke the nine year trophy duct and in doing so may have smashed a psychological barrier that has been holding them back in recent seasons. The same problems remain in the league though, with Wenger's side failing to maintain a season-long title challenge, fading badly in the second half of the season.

This summer, Wenger has finally made good on his promise to spend, splashing the cash on Chilean star Alexis Sanchez as well as Mathieu Debuchy, David Ospina and youngster Calum Chambers. Sanchez is a huge signing for the Gunners, providing power, pace and creativity to an already glittering array of attacking midfielders whilst Debuchy has an important job to do replacing Bakary Sagna. Ospina and Chambers will both be squad players but are a vast improvement on Fabianski and Jenkinson.

That said, Arsenal may need another centre-half should Thomas Vermaelen depart as expected before the end of the window. Most fans would also be keen to see another striker brought in as well, as an injury to Giroud would leave them short at the front. The frenchman has looked unfit in pre-season and there may be questions over who will start up top in this weekends Community Shield. A deeper lying midfielder may also be required due to Arteta's age and Abou Diaby's persistent injury problems, with Ramsey requiring a more long-term partner alongside him in midfield.

Pre-season has been a mixed bag so far for the Gunners. Two convincing wins both followed by equally unconvincing defeats has left fans quietly anxious. The worst defeat came in the Emirates Cup with a lacklustre display condemning them to a 1-0 defeat against Monaco and failure to win the trophy they created. However, four goals from Yaya Sanogo will have done plenty to ease worries about strength in depth in the striking department, whilst youngster Calum Chambers gave a couple of assured performances to warrant his £16 million transfer fee.

This year expect to see an Arsenal side flowing with confidence. There is a whole host of top quality players such as Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey who are still young and improving every season and they will only get better with age. With a solid defensive unit and increased creativity through Sanchez expect Arsenal to continue to excite their own fans, as well as the neutrals. I struggle to see them claiming the title with the squad depth of Chelsea and Manchester City, but they will certainly be there or there about come the end of the season.


Key Man: Aaron Ramsey - Something of a forgotten man come the end of season player awards due to his injuries through the second-half of the season but was a revelation during the opening half of the campaign. Arguably the best central midfielder in the League, the Welshman has a little bit of everything, goals, assists, flair and energy and will be vital to Arsenal's title push this year. If they can find a defensive midfielder to partner him in midfield then we may see him tear the League apart.

One to Watch: Mesut Ozil - Ozil has come under plenty of criticism this year for poor form both at Arsenal and also at the World Cup with Germany. Unquestionably he has lost some of his flair from a few years ago but has developed into an extremely solid number ten. He is always assured in possession with pass completion stats comparable with that of a deeper lying midfielder and with ten assists for Arsenal last year, do not be surprised to see this figure rise this year as the German fully adapts to life in the Premier League.

Best Signing: Mathieu Debuchy - The stand-out signing from a commercial perspective is obviously the ex-Barcelona man Alexis Sanchez but the purchase of Mathieu Debuchy is far more important for the team. With the departure of Bakary Sagna to Manchester City it was vital that Wenger bought a solid replacement. Choosing Debuchy was a stellar bit of business as he is one of the most underrated players statistically in the league. Whilst he is not renowned for his marauding runs forward, the ex-Newcastle man is excellent defensively, with better tackling, blocking and intercepting stats than Sagna last year. With enough Premier League experience, Debuchy may just turn out to be one of the buys of the summer.