New Telegraph

Inside Arsenal Struggle As Transfer Failures, Red Cards And Edu Exit Derail Title Bid

Arsenal are going through a phase – and it’s not the kind Mikel Arteta envisioned when he and Edu co-signed a step-bystep plan to return the club to the top.

In the five years since Arteta presented a five-phase strategy to the Arsenal board before he was hired with Edu’s firm backing, the Gunners have gone from strength.

After two agonising attempts at winning the Premier League title, fans came into the 2024-25 season hoping for third time lucky, with many punters and pundits tipping Arteta’s side to finally end Manchester City’s era of dominance.

But the clocks have only just gone back and the Gunners are already seven points adrift of early pacesetters Liverpool.

There’s a long way to go but now that it’s emerged Edu will be leaving the club, the past few months don’t feel like part of the plan. Let’s break down how Arsenal’s struggles have come about.

Transfer window

Having reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League and taken Manchester City to the final day, most outsiders were in agreement over what kind of players Arsenal needed to put the finishing touches on their title-chasing squad.

A proper No.9 and cover for Bukayo Saka were seen as necessities but instead, Arteta and Edu brought in a new backup goalkeeper (Neto), yet another defender who can play centreback or full-back (Ricciardo Calafiori), a centre midfielder (Mikel Merino) and Raheem Sterling on loan.

That didn’t do much to change the makeup of the Gunners’ squad, with fans who were dreaming of an Ollie Watkins or Victor Osimhen to spearhead their attack having to settle for another season of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Havertz has, in fairness, exceed expectations and been one of Arteta’s most critic-defying signings, but his squad still lacks a killer in front of goal. Saka, meanwhile, remains the only out-and out right winger in the squad, with the England star facing another season of starting almost every game possible regardless of the regular knocks which he picks up.

Sterling may well add a different dimension to Arsenal’s attack over the course of the campaign but we’re yet to see the experience and quality Arteta signed him for. In a strange turn of events, almost all of the singings Arsenal made during the summer transfer window have ended up being necessities themselves – but not by design.

As captain, Martin Odegaard’s absence since the September international break has been hugely detrimental to Arsenal’s midfield and forward line, forcing Arteta to tweak his system and turn to fringe players or young prospects.

There was nothing that the Gunners could do about his injury during Norway’s clash with Austria but what they could’ve avoided were the three cards which put a strain on Arteta’s injury-hit squad.

First it was Declan Rice at home to Brighton, then Leandro Trossard against City – Arsenal’s players won’t dare delay the restart again. And in the trip to Bournemouth, William Saliba clumsily got himself sent off and ended up suspended for last week’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

Once his other first-choice centre-back, Gabriel Magalhaes, went off, Arteta had to put together a makeshift defence and perhaps a more settled back line would’ve cut out Mohamed Salah’s equaliser which has had major implications of the current table. At least the fixture list is kinder towards Christmas.

Surprise exit

Sporting directors, who’d have thought they were so important back when Arteta was on the pitch for Arsenal and not in the dugout? A much-loved figure inside the club, Edu has worked in tandem with Arteta to guide Arsenal back to the fight for major honours and their relationship has been consistently rock solid.

But now the Brazilian is preparing to wave goodbye to Arsenal after a highly influential five-year stint. Given we don’t know exactly when Edu will be leaving, it may not be a move which directly affects this season or even the January transfer window.

Nevertheless, Edu’s shock departure signals a huge shift within the club’s football framework and he’ll need replacing. For Arteta, he’s losing perhaps his biggest ally at the club and will hope to have the support and same shared vision with Arsenal’s next sporting director. If not, he might never enter the final phase.

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