Where will Arsenal finish? Strengths, weaknesses and transfer roundup

It's been a whirlwind summer for Premier League sides and now we are only four days out from the start of the 2020/21 campaign.

In the build-up to the new season we are running a series of preview articles for the historic 'big six' where we will be assessing their transfer dealings and strengths and weaknesses.

Starting in reverse order from last season's standings, first up is Mikel Arteta's Arsenal. The Spaniard has already won the FA Cup and Community Shield in the space of 10 months and the Gunners appear to have momentum heading into his first full season in charge.

Last Season

After a hugely underwhelming start to the 2019/20 campaign, Arsenal sacked Unai Emery and poached ex-midfielder Mikel Arteta from Pep Guardiola's coaching staff at Manchester City to replace him. Arsenal only managed an eighth-place finish in the Premier League but they finished the campaign with another FA Cup trophy.

Strengths

Arsenal haven't had a reliable goalkeeper for years and now they have two. Bernd Leno was arguably one of Arsenal's best performers up until injury last season and then his replacement, Emiliano Martinez, finished the campaign in even better form. Even if one leaves before the transfer window closes, Arteta is in great position knowing he will have one solid No.1 and more money to spend on other areas of the squad.

The double arrival of William Saliba and Gabriel from Ligue 1 has bolstered Arsenal's defensive options on paper but it is still too early to tell how both youngsters will fare in the maiden campaign for the club. Nevertheless, the future looks bright if they can fulfil their immense potential at the Emirates. They do at least allow Kieran Tierney to move out to full-back and Bukayo Saka to play further forward.

Securing the long-term future of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been at the top of Arsenal's list of priorities for months now and they finally believe they have done that. Finding a replacement for Aubameyang in this market would have proved impossible for Arteta and he is crucial for the club's pursuit of Champions League football. No player has scored more Premier League goals than Aubameyang since he made his Arsenal debut (54).

Weaknesses

While Arteta has moved to address some of Arsenal's shortcomings this summer, he hasn't yet been able to find solutions for all of them. Central midfield looks a particular weak point for the Gunners and their pursuit of both Thomas Partey and Houssem Aouar suggests Arteta knows it. Granit Xhaka has never played so well for Arsenal since Arteta took over and re-signing Dani Ceballos for another season is a huge boost but beyond that they are short. Neither Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi figure in Arteta's long-term thinking but they have so far failed find buyers.

Transfer Roundup

Things looked bleak for Arsenal heading into the summer after widespread reports they had no money to spend for Arteta to strengthen their squad but they have managed to add new faces.

Arsenal's defence has been a problem area for some time now and as well as welcoming back 19-year-old William Saliba from his loan spell with Saint-Etienne they have also landed highly rated Lille centre-back Gabriel despite competition from Napoli, Everton and Manchester United.

Arteta also played a major part in landing Willian on a free transfer after his contract expired with Chelsea. The 33-year-old is coming off his best ever Premier League campaign in terms of goal involvements (16).

While it's important Arsenal have signed players, keeping the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka could prove equally important in both the short and long-term.

Prediction

Arsenal have made huge strides in a short space of time under Mikel Arteta but can they do even more to overturn a 10-point swing on the top four? It's a tough ask, particularly as you'd know expect Chelsea to challenge for the title following their £250m blow-out. Realistically it leaves Arsenal fighting for one spot in the top four along with Tottenham, Manchester United and Wolves. With the distraction of Europa League football to contend with, Arsenal may fall short in pursuit of the Champions League in 2020/21.

Predicted League Finish: 5th