Arsenal suffered a dismal 4-1 defeat against Chelsea in the UEFA Europa League final last night which extinguished their hopes of ensuring UEFA Champions League football for next season. Maurizio Sarri’s men were superior in every department and handled the pressure better than the Gunners. However, the lack of quality in Unai Emery’s squad was also there for everyone to see at the Olympic Stadium last night.
It will take some time for the North London outfit to bounce back from this defeat. For now, the only thing that the club can concentrate on is to recruit well in the transfer market so that Emery has a strong squad capable of challenging on all fronts in the upcoming campaign.
Let’s take a look at three players Emery should consider signing during the summer transfer window.
Franck Kessié
The Ivory Coast international has enjoyed another brilliant campaign with AC Milan after he put in some impressive displays for them during the recently concluded Serie A season. He has featured in 42 matches for the San Siro outfit this term, scoring seven goals while grabbing three assists in all competitions. He would be a fantastic acquisition for the Gunners as he would bring a lot of quality to Emery’s midfield.
Harry Maguire
The English defender has proven his worth at Leicester City for the past couple of seasons. Maguire is widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in Premier League football so he could be the ideal candidate to turn Arsenal’s defensive misfortunes around next season.
The 26-year-old has featured in 31 league matches for the Foxes this term and has three goals to his name. More importantly, he has made an average of 1.0 tackles, 1.0 interceptions and 4.6 clearances per game in the English top-flight (Stats taken from Whoscored).
Emery should try his best to bring the English defender to North London as he could be an essential piece in his Emirates jigsaw in the coming years.
Nicolas Pepe
The Ivory Coast talent has enjoyed the best season of his playing career at LOSC Lille this season. He has scored 23 goals and grabbed 12 assists in 41 appearances for the French outfit this term across all competitions. Pepe is a natural winger and will add another dimension to Emery’s attack.
Furthermore, his productivity in the final third has been remarkable, so if he can continue his stellar form from this season in the next one, then Pepe would be a player well-worth pursuing.
