And with that, the Premier League is done and dusted for another year. Arsenal, the division’s second place side, ended things with a win but the real work starts now for new sporting director Andrea Berta.
Mikel Arteta declared post-game on Sunday that work for the new season would commence quickly.
Where do they need to strengthen?
It’s pretty obvious unless you have been living under a rock.
For the first time since the 1923/24 season, yes, over 100 years ago, Arsenal failed to find a player who scored double figures in a league season.
Injuries have no doubt led to this but so has the club’s poor recruitment over the last 18 months.
A new striker and potentially also a winger simply has to be sourced this summer.
Arsenal’s transfer plans post-season
It’s set to be out with the old and in with the new this summer for the Gunners.
Kieran Tierney scored on his final outing for the Gunners at Southampton but it may not have been just his final outing.
Indeed, Raheem Sterling will head back to his parent club while Thomas Partey and Jorginho see their contracts expire in a few weeks time.
Leandro Trossard – linked with Saudi last January – could sign a new deal at the Emirates Stadium this summer, but that is unlikely to have an impact on whether or not they sign a new forward.
For that central berth, the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko seem the most likely of candidates but there’s also the potential for a new winger to arrive in the shape of Real Madrid star, Rodrygo.
The Brazilian isn’t the only wide player on their shortlist with reports in recent weeks suggesting that Arsenal have been working on a deal for Rafael Leao.
The Milan star is also wanted by Bayern Munich this summer but there’s has been a new development in Arsenal’s chase.
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That’s according to French publication, Foot Mercato, who suggested over the weekend that while the Portuguese winger is on the club’s ‘shortlist’, Berta actually had a phone call with the player in the last two weeks.
The purpose of that call was to tell Leao that there is definite interest in him from the Gunners.
Arsenal don’t have an endless supply of cash this summer, and with other areas needing to be improved, they will have to spend wisely. Thus, a reported £145m release clause is unlikely to be met too well by the club’s recruitment team.
How Rafael Leao compares to Rodrygo
Speaking last week ahead of the game with Southampton, Arteta was actually asked about the prospect of signing Rodrygo from Real Madrid.
While he didn’t explicitly reveal that Arsenal were interested, he was slightly more open to the prospect of discussing transfers than he was a week or two ago, stating: “If you want to win titles, you have to be the best in the market. The teams that win have the best players.”
Well, speaking of the best players, who would be the better option here?
Rodrygo is an electrifying talent and there is a belief that if he moved away from the Bernabeu and was the main man, he’d be a genuinely scary proposition. After all, this is a player who has scored 50 goals since the beginning of the 2022/23 season.
In comparison, Leao – who’s actually been compared to a young Thierry Henry for his play style on the left flank – has scored 43 times in the same time frame.
So, with fewer goals, why is the Portuguese more exciting?
Goals
0.40
0.34
Assists
0.31
0.24
Shot on target %
36.0%
36.3%
Key passes
2.06
1.91
Progressive passes
4.12
3.76
Shot-creating actions
4.60
4.71
Successful take-ons
2.64
2.56
Progressive carries
5.20
5.63
A genuine speedster, the Milan forward has notably been described by the Athletic’s Alex Barker as “one of the best dribblers in the world”, the numbers certainly showcase that.
He ranks within the top 5% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues this season for successful take ons per 90 minutes with 2.84. In contrast, Rodrygo only ranks among the best 23% with 2.08 per 90 mins in 2024/25.
Evidently both very capable dribblers, over the last three seasons it’s the Milan superstar who comes out on top in most areas, most importantly producing more end product (goals and assists) every 90 minutes.
Leao isn’t just a dribbler and a goalscorer, but he’s also capable of providing assists, delivering more key passes and progressive passes than Madrid’s wing sensation.
It’s likely the latter would be a cheaper acquisition but based on the numbers it’s the Portugal international who looks like the more exciting talent.
Combine that with comparisons to Henry and you have a genuine world beater here capable of getting Arsenal fans off their seats again.
It’s safe to say they’ve lacked that star quality and X factor on too many occasions this season.
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