No UCL, paltry budget: Which areas should Arsenal focus on in the transfer market?

Arsenal ended their 2018-19 campaign on a miserable note as they were convincingly defeated by an Eden Hazard-inspired Chelsea side in the Europa League final.

The Gunners missed out on a chance to play Champions League football next season with their loss in the final as they finished 5th in the Premier League.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has a tough task at hand as he needs to rebuild his team to eventually challenge for the top four as the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham are far ahead of them.

However, with no Champions League football, Arsenal may not have the budget as well as the pulling power to sign world-class players.

Which areas should Emery focus on in the 2019 summer transfer window? Let’s take a look:

Centre-back

For a long time now, Arsenal have been devoid of a centre-back who can be a leader and offer stability and solidity in defence. While Laurent Koscielny offered that for a few years, at 33 years of age, he’s at the end of his career and is not the same player he was a few years ago.

The likes of Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Shkodran Mustafi have either not been consistent or are not good enough for a top 4 team in the Premier League, and hence a top quality, young centre-back should be the priority for the Gunners.

A player like Harry Maguire would be a good fit, but he may be too expensive for the Gunners. Roma’s Kostas Manolas would be a cheaper option for the London club.

Creative midfielder

The departure of Aaron Ramsey, who will leave the Gunners to join Juventus on a free transfer, is a big blow for the club as he was a dependable, consistent, and creative player in midfield who could get goals, provide assists, and also do the dirty work.

While Mesut Ozil is a talented player, his performances over the last year or so have been dismal, which has resulted in him no longer being first-choice in the Arsenal lineup.

The Gunners should sign a creative midfielder who can do influence the game and be a link player between midfield and attack.

Adding back-up players

Arsenal also need to add a few more players to the squad as 5 first-team players are currently set to leave the club on a free transfer.

Apart from Ramsey, the likes of Danny Welbeck, and three full-backs – Carl Jenkinson, Nacho Monreal, and Stephan Lichtsteiner’s contracts are expiring this summer.

It’s quite evident that the Gunners need to add a few more players in full-back positions.