Sign a striker, back-up for Bukayo Saka & improve discipline issues – Where do Arsenal need to improve next season?
Published 08/05/2025 at 17:33 GMT+1
Arsenal's only hope of silverware this season fell short after a 2-1 UEFA Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital on Wednesday. The loss means The Gunners have now gone five years without a trophy despite becoming a serious contender for the Premier League title in recent years. Where do Arsenal need to improve to take that next step? TNT Sports analyses the situation.
Highlights: Clinical PSG end Arsenal Champions League dream to make final
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Arsenal's season came to a crushing end on Wednesday night after falling to a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg.
Despite the claim from Mikel Arteta that Arsenal were the "better team", it is the Ligue 1 champions who will face Inter Milan at the end of the month in the showdown final in Germany.
The result means that The Gunners have now gone five years since they last won a trophy under head coach Mikel Arteta, despite the Spaniard turning the club into genuine Premier League title contenders over the last three campaigns.
Arsenal are in danger of slowly becoming the "nearly club", but in reality, they are not too far away from making that next step towards lifting some silverware.
But what do they need to finally get over the line?
With the help of our friends at Opta, we take a look at where the club needs to make improvements in the summer in a bid to end their trophy drought.
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No Filter UCL: PSG book final date with Inter as Arsenal dumped out in Paris
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Sign a striker
Arsenal supporters will argue that they have been screaming out for a new striker since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left the club in 2022.
However, the issue has been more prevalent this season after The Gunners decided not to sign a centre-forward during the January transfer window despite main attacking threat Bukayo Saka picking up a hamstring injury in December and Gabriel Jesus sustaining an ACL tear a few weeks later - a decision that ended up costing them.
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Speaking about the situation on TNT Sports' The Breakdown: Premier League Special, Lucy Ward said: "I think it’s just an astronomical failure that they haven’t got someone who puts the ball in the back of the net.
"When they’ve been in tight games and there’s been situations where if they had a proper goalscorer in front of goal, it would’ve been a straightforward game.
"They’ve jeopardised the title, and it just looks careless, so I can’t think for a minute that Arteta was quite happy."
The failure to sign a striker certainly played a role in Arsenal struggling to keep pace with newly crowned champions Liverpool.
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Ward: Arsenal ‘jeopardised' title bid with ‘astronomical failure’ to sign striker
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After the transfer window closed on February 3, the north London outfit have only managed to score 15 goals in the league.
During that same period, Arne Slot's team racked up 25 goals on their way to the title while Mohamed Salah provided 12 goal contributions alone in that time.
Newcastle United also scored 24 league goals in that time, a painful read for Arsenal fans after striker Alexander Isak has reportedly been linked with a move to Emirates Stadium, and TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand believes he would be a great addition to Arteta's squad.
"Isak’s the obvious answer because he’s here in the Premier League, he’s proven in the Premier League," he told TNT Sports in March. "He scores goals against the best teams and best players."
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‘We didn’t have same weapons’ – Keown says lack of striker ‘hurt’ Arsenal in PSG loss
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The lack of a clinical edge was there for all to see over both legs against PSG.
Arsenal only managed one goal over 180 minutes, and although Gianluigi Donnarumma deserves credit for producing a number of top-class saves, Arsenal great Martin Keown believes a lack of a goalscorer cost them a place in the final.
"It was just in that final third where you needed a fox in the box, someone who was going to really hurt them," he told TNT Sports. "There were times when PSG were counter-attacking and had real pace, but [Arsenal] didn’t have the same weapons to hurt them with.
"I think that’s where the change will come. Big recruitment will come in the summer."
Adequate back-up to Saka
With Arsenal lacking a serious centre-forward threat, a lot of the burden to score and create goals has fallen on Bukayo Saka.
The England international has certainly risen to the occasion throughout his Arsenal career so far and provided 12 goals and 13 assists in all competitions this season.
His performance and goal in the 2-1 victory at Real Madrid in the Champions League ended the debate for Rio Ferdinand about his world-class status.
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'Cue the delirium' - Saka puts Arsenal ahead in Madrid
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"Saka, in terms of defining and being decisive," Ferdinand told TNT Sports at the time.
"I've debated it quite a lot over the years about, 'Is he world-class?' 100%.
"A world-class footballer who will decide matches now for the rest of his career at the top level."
However, we saw the impact of the physical burden on his shoulders when he suffered a hamstring injury during Arsenal's win at Crystal Palace in December.
According to Opta, Saka has played 13,384 minutes in all competitions since the start of the 2021-22 season - only Mohamed Salah, Jarrod Bowen, Ollie Watkins and Erling Haaland have played more among his Premier League counterparts.
Is it time for Arteta to show more faith in teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri?
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‘Different class’ – Cole and Keown praise ‘Messi-like’ performance from Nwaneri
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The 18-year-old has enjoyed a fine breakthrough campaign with The Gunners so far and shown he can be decisive when given the chance.
Nwaneri has not enjoyed much gametime in recent months, the last time he played a full 90 minutes in the Premier League came in Arsenal's 2-0 win at Leicester City in February, and his performance impressed both Keown and Joe Cole.
"He's a strong little thing. You can't mark him because he can go both ways," Cole told TNT Sports at the time. "These touches he produces in and around the box, I don't want to say it, but it's like [Lionel] Messi.
Keown added: "It's almost like Saka. It's a huge leg-up for the club. You lose Saka and you've almost got his twin out there. This young man, I thought he was immense.
"He's so confident and he steps into the ball and he's aggressive when he travels with it. He looks so assured for such a young man. His decision-making is different class.
"His skill set, the pace, he's assured in possession, he's confident, he's determined, hits it off his left foot, hits it off his right just as well and it's all there. Boy, do we need him."
Competition for Martinelli
Do Arsenal need an upgrade on the other flank?
Gabriel Martinelli and Saka have provided Arsenal with two excellent options out wide for a number of seasons, but in order to get over the line, the Brazilian's output needs improvement.
Although he scored a fine goal to wrap up the 2-1 win at the Bernabeu against Madrid, Martinelli's season will also be remembered for a couple of key misses in both legs in the semi-final against PSG.
It might sound harsh because the forward forced Donnarumma into two fine saves, but those are the margins at the elite level.
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Watch PSG hero Donnarumma's best saves from both semi-final legs against Arsenal
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The 23-year-old sustained a hamstring injury earlier this season, which might explain a slight drop off in form, but without an out-and-out striker, Arsenal needed more from him this season.
Here is a look at Martinelli's output so far in the Premier League, and comparing it with players in a similar position:
| Martinelli | Johnson | Bowen | Amad | |
| Appearances | 30 | 31 | 31 | 23 |
| Goals | 7 | 11 | 10 | 7 |
| Assists | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Expected Goals | 6.0 | 9.9 | 8.1 | 4.2 |
| Expected Assists | 4.4 | 2.1 | 6.3 | 3.7 |
| Shots on target per 90 mins | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Shots conversion rate per 90 mins | 14.9 | 20.8 | 12.7 | 16.3 |
The damaging part for Martinelli is that Amad Diallo, Jarrod Bowen and Brennan Johnson all play for clubs who have endured a miserable league campaign this season, and yet their stats are more encouraging than his numbers.
Although Leandro Trossard offers healthy competition for Martinelli, could Arsenal get more out of both players with one more addition to push them?
The Gunners attempted that approach by signing Raheem Sterling from Chelsea on loan in January, but unfortunately for them, he has simply not hit the heights of old.
Ease burden on Odegaard
When speaking to TNT Sports after being dumped out of the Champions League in Paris, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard could not hide his hurt.
"It's painful, we wanted to do the big thing, a big goal in the league and the Champions League," he said. "Massive disappointment, but we have to stay strong and together. Take the lessons, take the pain and use it to come back stronger.
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‘That’s where we lost it’ – Odegaard pinpoints Arsenal shortcomings in ‘painful’ PSG defeat
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"We have to learn from this. We did a lot of good things but it's not enough. In front of goal is where games are decided and that's where we have to be sharper. We have to use this pain in a good way."
It has been a tough campaign for the Norway international, and he has struggled to fully recover from an ankle injury he picked up in November.
Both games against PSG appeared to sum up his season when he was removed before the end in the first leg, and after he was denied the opener by a world-class Donnarumma save, his influence seemed to wane as the match progressed.
Since being named Arsenal's skipper ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, Odegaard has been a driving force in helping Arsenal become contenders again, but this season has seen a significant dip in form as shown in the stats below:
| 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | |
| Appearances | 45 | 48 | 42 |
| Starts | 39 | 45 | 36 |
| Goals | 15 | 11 | 5 |
| Assists | 7 | 11 | 10 |
| Expected Goals | 10.2 | 9.1 | 7.7 |
| Expected Assists | 9.5 | 12.8 | 10.5 |
| Chances created per 90 mins | 2.3 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Passes into box per 90 mins | 6.7 | 6.9 | 7.9 |
| Shots on target per 90 mins | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Shots conversion rate per 90 mins | 15.6 | 11.1 | 7.6 |
Who else can step up from midfield when Arsenal's creative maestro is struggling for form?
Declan Rice has shown that he can contribute with goals at key moments - inspired by a chat with boss Arteta - but is more help needed?
Reports claim that Arsenal are set to sign Martin Zubimendi next season, but he is another defensive-minded player rather than a potential attacking outlet.
With time to fully recover over the summer, Odegaard will be hopeful that he can match his output from previous seasons because if Arsenal want to end their trophy drought, they need their star midfielder to be firing on all cylinders.
Improve discipline
One area where Arsenal have let themselves down has been their discipline.
Although Arteta and the Arsenal fanbase will claim that refereeing decisions have not gone their way, there is no doubt that red cards have been an issue for them this season.
The Gunners have received five red cards in the Premier League this season - joint top with Ipswich Town.
Arsenal picked up five points from a possible 15 in the games where players were sent off, which clearly played a role in their failure to keep up in the title race.
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Arsenal’s Rice dismayed after being sent off for kicking ball away - 'He's gone!'
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With Arteta at the helm, Arsenal have picked up the most red cards in the league during this period, with a total of 20.
The Spaniard has received criticism for an apparent failure to keep his players' emotions in check, but it must be pointed out that Arsenal only received a combined two red cards in the previous two seasons - 2022/23 and 2023/24 - which were the campaigns where they pushed Manchester City to the final weeks of the campaign for the title.
Perhaps this season can be written off as an anomaly in terms of red cards, but they cannot afford a repeat next season if they want to go the distance in both the Premier League and Champions League.
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