Arsenal
Key addition: Granit Xhaka
Arsenal fans have been screaming for Arsene Wenger to buy a defensive midfielder for a few years now, and all Arsene did was to go out and get one of the better ones available. His presence will free up Mesut Özil, Alexis Sanchez, and Aaron Ramsey to do what they do best — create lethally quick scoring opportunities for themselves and for Giroud.
All additions: Granit Xhaka, Rob Holding, Takuma Asano
Key departure: Mikel Arteta
Arteta spent the last few years anchoring Arsenal’s midfield, but now he’s retired and taken up a coaching role at Manchester City. Throughout his Arsenal career, Arteta was one of those guys who never got enough credit — he was a tidy passer, a quiet force, and Arsenal were a different team when he wasn’t in the lineup.
All departures: Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky, Mathieu Flamini, Welington Silva, Wojciech Szczesny
State of the club
Arsenal fans are seemingly never in a good mood about the state of their club, and this summer is no different. They desperately want Wenger to buy both a player to complement Giroud up front and another defender. If none of that happens, that’ll just be another arrow in the quiver for those who think Wenger should move on. Even the addition of Xhaka may not be enough to quiet Wenger’s doubters should Arsenal start slowly this season.
Why should a new fan support Arsenal?
We have a cannon for a logo. And we have Özil, Sanchez, and the rest of what could be the most exciting midfield in England right now.
Which WWE wrestler is Arsenal like?
Arsenal would probably be pro wrestler Becky Lynch — a fan favorite with all of the tools to be great (the charisma, the look, the physical strength), but too often finds ways to get sucker punched and go down for the count in the big matches. She’s always just hovering around the top without quite breaking through to be the champ.
