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Arsenal MUST move quickly to avoid Thursday night football forever

Sanchez, Wenger and Ozil. All three or none could be at Arsenal next season
Sanchez, Wenger and Ozil. All three or none could be at Arsenal next season

The 2017/18 season will be Arsenal’s first without Champions League football since 1997.

That campaign was Arsène Wenger’s first full season in charge of the north London club, having replaced Bruce Rioch in October 1996, and in it they managed to pull off a league and FA Cup double.

It was to be the French manager’s first of seven FA Cup wins, with the triumph against Chelsea on Saturday making him the most successful manager in the history of the prestigious competition.

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With his current contract coming to an end this summer, uncertainty has loomed over Wenger all season and questions have been posed regarding his ability to take the club forward.

When asked about his future the 67-year-old referred to the impressive cup final display against the league champions.

“Watch the game, and there can be no doubt,” he said. But if he’s to convince the club and the fans that a contract extension was the right decision, he’ll need to capitalise on the momentum gained at the end of this season.

If they’re to repeat the success of 20 years ago they’ll have to move quickly and boldly in the transfer market, using the cup triumph as a galvanising force to bring in new talent in the hope that their absence from the Champions League is a short one.

Though it’s more difficult to sign the best players without the offer of a place at Europe’s top table, any potential signings could be swayed by their previous run of top four finishes.

On top of this they should be looking to add more domestic trophies to the cabinet, especially as it’s now thirteen years since their last league title, and they should also be hoping to emulate Manchester United’s Europa League triumph.

Realistically

Playing in UEFA’s second tier competition gives the Gunners a realistic chance to win European honours as despite continually qualifying for the Champions League, they’ve only reached the final once and for the past six seasons they’ve failed to make it past the first knockout round.

A good Europa League run could be a stepping stone for future success on the continent but in order to challenge in the competition and the demanding fixture list which comes with it, they’ll need to bolster their ranks with quality this summer.

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It would be easy for Wenger and the club to point to the quality of the performances in the cup final, but these exceptional displays have been few and far between this season and have resulted in the lowly fifth place league finish.

A number of factors will shape Arsenal’s summer transfer activity. The primary one will be the backing Wenger receives, first in the shape of a new contract, and then in the form of adequate financial backing to revitalise a squad which had begun to look stale.

They’ll also need to deal with the issue of Alexis Sánchez’s future at the club, which could be made more complicated by his participation in this summer’s Confederations Cup with Chile.

If their star man leaves then not only will the club need to improve on what they already have, but they’ll also have to find a replacement for a player who scored 30 goals for them in all competitions this season and also chipped in with 19 assists in his 51 appearances.

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Then the manager will need to decide whether he wants to stick with the 3-4-3 he’s used towards the end of the season or revert to a back four system. If the back three is kept, then a few more specialists will be required in the centre of defence and in the wing back positions, even if just to offer back up.

Rob Holding has thrived in the new formation, but the team will need more players of his ilk if they’re to improve on a season in which they had the worst defence of the clubs in the top six.

The future? Rob Holding
The future? Rob Holding

Quality squad depth will be important as they look to cope with the Thursday-Sunday schedule brought about by the Europa League. Without extra players to call upon this can make a league campaign much more difficult.

Chelsea and Liverpool have benefitted from a lack of midweek games and European travel this past season, but the playing field will be levelled for next season as all the top sides will be participating in continental competition.

This means that Arsenal’s rivals will all be looking to add quality depth to their ranks, making the quest to keep up with them all the more difficult.

The signings Wenger makes this summer could affect the club’s success for years to come. The Frenchman will feel it’s his duty to leave the club in good shape when he eventually does step down as manager, and the legacy he leaves on the pitch for the next manager could be as defining as all those FA Cup wins.

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