Speaking in his first press conference during pre-season a few days ago, there was perhaps a sense of frustration from Mikel Arteta that Arsenal hadn’t strengthened more in the transfer window.
“We are short”, he said, even despite the fact that the Gunners have signed four players and are on the verge of adding two more this week in the form of Cristian Mosquera and Viktor Gyokeres.
Well, as their pre-season festivities kicked off with a 1-0 win over AC Milan in which they had 27 shots, it was perhaps evident why the Gunners have moved to land Gyokeres, a man with 54 goals in 52 matches last season.
Despite the fact that Gyokeres is yet to be officially confirmed, we did get to see a glimpse of the club’s new signings with Christian Norgaard starting, while Martin Zubimendi and Kepa Arriazabalaga appeared for the second half as substitutes.
There was even a customary goal for Bukayo Saka who looked as though he’d never been away.
How Arsenal's new signings fared on debut against Milan
Noni Madueke, signed from Chelsea for £52m, is yet to join up with the squad following their Club World Cup exploits in America. As a result, the Gunners’ attack had a rather similar feel to it.
There was something different in midfield, however, with Norgaard handed his first Arsenal start on Wednesday evening in the Singapore heat.
While the Dane lost possession a few times, on six occasions in fact, there was a tidiness to his play that shone through in his pass completion of 88%. As far as £15m signings go, he will more than hold his own in central areas when acting as Zubimendi’s deputy.
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Speaking of the Spaniard, his debut was certainly a bit more eye-catching. Supporters have longingly waited for their first glimpse and while he didn’t have too much to do, the former Real Sociedad man was also tidy, completing 89% of his passes and providing two key passes.
There were standout moments for a number of young stars, too. Max Dowman was given his first senior outing and was outstanding in his brief cameo.
His ability to pick up the ball and evade the opposition is already first-class. It’s astonishing to think he’s only 15 years of age.
There was also a debut for fellow 15-year-old Marli Salmon. The centre-back may have missed a penalty in the novelty penalty shoot-out that took place at full-time but he dazzled in possession during normal time, completing 94% of his passes.
That said, it wasn’t a positive runout for everyone in an Arsenal shirt.
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While it’s still early in pre-season, the Gunners’ need for new recruits in their offensive line was blatant.
Saka was lively on the right-hand side and carved out a number of opportunities, but as usual, not too many in Arsenal blue were willing to get on the end of things.
You can excuse Kai Havertz who has returned from a lengthy injury lay-off but the need for a presence like Gyokeres is clear for all to see.
The need for a left winger was also rather obvious. Arsenal have been linked regularly with moves for Eberechi Eze and Rodrygo over the summer and the display for a certain Gabriel Martinelli will have left fans begging for their arrival.
We’ll excuse an early pre-season performance, but the Brazilian’s showing in Singapore was all too familiar. He was timid in possession on the left and lacked the explosiveness required to pose a constant threat to the Milan backline.
Minutes played
45
Touches
19
Accurate passes
6/8 (75%)
Key passes
0
Accurate crosses
0
Successful dribbles
2/4
Shots on target
0
Blocked shots
1
Ground duels won
3/6
Possession lost
x5
Fouled
x1
Playing the opening 45 minutes, Martinelli could only manage 19 touches and he completed just six passes. His only shot, one that was blocked, summed up that timid nature.
The winger got the ball on the left and looked to press into the area but his indecisiveness and lack of quick feet around the box meant that Milan found it easy to prevent a goalscoring opportunity from occurring.
His efforts on the night were well summed up by The Standard’s Simon Collings who handed Martinelli a 5/10 rating and wrote: ‘Had one mazy run, which included a cheeky nutmeg, but the final ball was lacking at times, especially with a chance late on in the first half.’
As a consequence, Arteta needs a more explosive figure to partner the likes of Gyokeres and Saka in his forward line this season.
If the board have any sense, they will look to replace Martinelli’s regular starting spot with someone like Eze or Rodrygo.
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