Arsenal bid farewell to their long-serving manager Arsene Wenger last season, with the Frenchman finally resigning from the club. He was neither able to win a trophy in his final season, nor did he guide the team to a top-four finish. Arsenal were only able to finish 6th, with a total of 63 points which ensures them a Europa League spot.
Wenger did win his final game at the Emirates, thrashing Burnley 5-0, which was the perfect send-off for the coach. He also gave an emotional speech, which was quite similar to that of Sir Alex Ferguson’s when he left Manchester United. Wenger also won his final Premier League game against Huddersfield, which saw Aubameyang score the only goal of the game to earn the Gunners a 1-0 win against the Terriers.
Wenger’s resignation will leave a huge dent not just in the hearts of Arsenal fans but football fans all over the world. The Frenchman was one of the pioneers behind the Premier League football we watch today. He will always be remembered for his great achievements at the club. But a change was needed, and change was what the fans got.
New manager Unai Emery has arrived at the club, and things look a lot different already. He will be looking to make additions to the squad left behind by Arsene Wenger. The manager will be aiming to turn this ailing side into title contenders next season. The Spanish coach has already signed Juventus right-back Stephan Lichsteiner for a free transfer to bolster their defence.
Reports suggest that Emery is looking to sign Freiburg defender Caglar Soyuncu. The 22-year-old centre-back has made 55 appearances for Freiburg since joining in 2016 and has been capped 15 times by Turkey. Arsenal are known to make relatively unknown signings that carry a lot of potential behind them.
One such example would be Wenger’s final defensive signing for the club, Konstantinos Mavropanos -an unknown player who supposedly has the potential to become one of the best centre-halves in the league.
With club captain Laurent Koscielny aged 32, Emery will soon require quality reinforcements. Soyuncu could be the man to take his spot. He made 25 appearances in the Bundesliga last season, scoring 1 goal in the process. The Turkish international was impressive throughout the campaign.
However, there are slight concerns over his discipline, with the defender having earned 4 yellow and 2 red cards the last term. If he wants to become a mainstay in this Arsenal team, he’s going to have to work on his discipline and ethics. Apart from that, the defender will surely be one for the future since it is evident that he has the potential and the ability. Under the guidance of Unai Emery, Soyuncu could be a huge player in the years to come.
