The question marks surrounding Arsene Wenger and the current Arsenal squad ahead of the 2017-18 Premier League season is astounding.
Will star players Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil stay out for the last season of their contract?
Will club record signing Alexandre Lacazette bang in the goals? Will long-serving manager Arsene Wenger continue his reign in North London? And perhaps most importantly, will the Gunners be able to get back in the top four?
Die-hard fans would be aghast to hear this, but their beloved Arsenal has fallen behind their competition due to various reasons. In many eyes, Wenger’s sagaciousness in the transfer market is the single biggest cause behind their Premier League trophy drought.
However, should Sanchez stay at the Emirates past the transfer deadline, you have a side that is capable of challenging for the title, not just a Champions League spot. For, Wenger has made some smart buys this summer and should they retain their big guns, a first league title since 2004 is possible.
How well they do in the Premier League also depends on what Wenger’s Europa League strategy is.
Does he risk his big names on a Thursday night and make them play again on Sunday, or does he play his fringe and youth players in Europe and focus on the domestic league?
Hopefully, all pressing questions for the Gunners faithful will be answered in the coming weeks.
Transfer Ins
Sead Kolasinac: (free from FC Shalke 04)
Alexandre Lacazette (£46.5 million from Lyon)
Transfers Out
Wojciech Szczesny (£11 million to Juventus)
Yaya Sanogo (free to Toulouse)
X-Factor: Alexandre Lacazette
Lacazette’s arrival has largely been ignored due to the Sanchez saga and Arsenal’s rivals have made the Frenchman’s £46.5 million fee seem almost like a trifle in comparison.
Long have Arsenal fans bemoaned the lack of a quality striker at the club. No disrespect to Olivier Giroud, but the Frenchman was never a striker who would win Arsenal the league.
Lacazette, his compatriot, is definitely an upgrade, despite not being the best in the air. The 26-year-old more than makes up for his lack of physical presence with his pace, dribbling skills and finishing ability.
Imagine him linking up with Alexis Sanchez with Mesut Ozil playing in the pacy forwards time and again. A dream attack triumvirate surely and many Premier League defences will suffer nightmares.
Of course, Lacazette will take some time to get used to the pace of English football. But the early signs are definitely promising and it seems the Gunners have finally got a striker who will score 20+ league goals.
Achilles Heel: Centre Midfield
Francis Coquelin is not an Arsenal-level player and at present, neither is Mohamed Elneny.
Santi Cazorla has not played for the Gunners for so long that his son questioned him whether he will ever return to the pitch again.
The jury is still out on Granit Xhaka, for the Swiss is rash at times, brilliant at others. Should he be able to keep his head, perhaps then Arsenal will be able to beat their rivals regularly.
Aaron Ramsey is consistent enough but is outnumbered by the opposition in the middle of the park due to his partner's poor show. To the Welshman's detriment, he does have a tendency of picking up a niggle here and there, which in turn, disrupts his season.
Which brings us to forgotten man Jack Wilshere. A mildly successful loan spell at Bournemouth last season was halted by a broken foot, just when things had started to look up for the injury-prone midfielder. The 25-year-old has reached the end of the rope and whether he stays at Arsenal, first-team action looks bleak.
Their central midfielders, when fit, have plenty of quality but keeping them away from the treatment table is a task and one Wenger will have to address if the Gunners are to lift their first league title in over a decade.
Star Man: Alexis Sanchez
Will he stay? Or will he go to a direct rival? Broadly speaking, the Chilean has two choices left. The 28-year-old’s decision may make or break Arsenal’s season.
A harsh truth, unfortunately, for the thought of Sanchez linking up with the likes of Eden Hazard at Chelsea will send shivers down the spine of the Gunners faithful.
To avoid that unfortunate scenario, Wenger and the club have dug their heels in and the closer the transfer deadline gets, the likely Sanchez will see out the last season of his contract.
Sanchez staying will be akin to a new signing and as mentioned earlier, having him alongside Ozil and Lacazette makes Arsenal genuine title contenders. If he doesn’t, then the North Londoners best forget about a top-four finish.
Likely Starting XI
Formation: 3-4-3
Goalkeeper: Petr Cech
Defence: Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny (currently suspended) and Per Mertesacker (currently injured)
Wing-Backs: Sead Kolasinac and Hector Bellerin
Midfield: Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey (currently injured)
Attack: Alexis Sanchez (currently injured), Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil (currently injured)