Arsenal had a disturbing slow start to the season, a record any coach will desperately hate to recall.

Three starts, three losses, and zero goals while shipping nine, and Arsenal uncomfortably sit at the
bottom of the Premier League, a record-breaking record for over ten decades of Arsenal's club history.

The board and Club owner Kroenke seem to back the coach, because there is a strong feeling that Arteta
is the man to turn things around for the club.

Many fans of Arsenal football club believe that Arteta should be replaced by a much older and better-
experienced coach because he –Arteta- is out of his depth with nothing to offer in rebuilding the team,
while others think that Arteta is indeed the man to lead Arsenal out of a relegation-threatened zone.
Others still believe that the Arsenal board needs to sanction the purchase of high-profile players to bring
instant glory, and that; there are many deadwood players in the squad that should be off-loaded.

Curious observers think that Arteta has made some detrimental decisions in the transfer window with
some squad players. For instance, the choice of Martinez over Leno, the release of Guendouzi and Saliba
has not quite gone down well with some fans who rate the players highly and much better than those
currently at the club. Also, the letting go of Willock who impressed on loan to Newcastle was seen as a
betrayal of the club

Well everyone has an opinion on how things should run, so whether it was a blunder that will cost
Arsenal, in the long run, sticking with Arteta or a blessing to be reaped much later as the season
progresses, remains to be seen.

The transfer window has closed and Arsenal has brought in some interesting new faces to boost the
team and hopefully propel them to glory. Here is a peek into the players

Aaron Ramsdale

Ramsdale is arguably an interesting player attributed with bad luck of relegating every team he had
played for and hopefully, the curse ends with his signing for Arsenal. The decision to pursue Ramsdale as
reported by James Lloyd, is almost definitely data-driven, seeing as the club adapted their recruitment
strategy to an analytics-based model last summer. Ramsdale may not pass the eye test for a lot of
viewers, but data shows that he's a solid goalkeeper. Despite conceding 13 goals from outside the box
last season, his statistics show that he had a pretty decent season in the sticks for the Blades.  In terms
of shot-stopping, Leno is marginally superior, yielding a save percentage of 71.6% over the last two
seasons, compared to Ramsdale’s 68.5%. In the same time frame, the latter has conceded 125 goals with
an expected goal against (xGA) of 117.6, whilst his German counterpart has conceded 78 goals with an
xGA of 74.5. Of course, it’s important to apply context and consider the fact that Ramsdale faced far
more shots than Leno considering the quality of teams the two play for. Generally, these figures are
pretty similar and Ramsdale has improved and is expected to play a far greater role for Arsenal in the
coming years.
Martin Odegaard

Martin had a stint with Arsenal last season and now has been fully signed by Arsenal. So what does he
add to the squad? Well, he is an attacking midfielder able to create chances for others in the team and
he is an offensive player that will add depth to the squad.  

Nuno Tavares

Tavares is viewed primarily as a strong, attacking left-back, who has excellent pace and athletic
qualities. He has occasionally filled in at right-back and left-midfield but has spent the vast majority of
his young career in the left full-back position. Arsenal has so far seen Tavares in action with good
promise and hopefully will see more of him now that Bellerin has left the club on loan.

Albert Lokonga

Lokonga stands at 6-foot tall yet is quick and agile and can flow into any position in the midfield, he is
excellent at bringing the ball up from the back with his dribbling skills, this also makes him very strong
progressive ball carrier. We have all seen Lokonga in action and have been impressed in the last few
games he featured for Arsenal, I think he will do well in the midfield when paired well with injured
Thomas Partey when he is back from injury. He is solid, strong, and technical.

Takehiro

Arsenal has in the past signed a few Japanese players but none of them played long for Arsenal. An
otherwise great promise just faded into the background. Takehiro is another deadline day signing that is
a relatively unknown player.

Arsenal has struggled with the right-back option and has performed woefully in that area that needed
addressing. Tomiyasu is a versatile defender who can play at both center-back and right-back, while his
age profile suits the Gunners' recruitment model moving forward. He is a strong, reliable, and diligent
defender with good distribution skills and reading of the game. The Japanese international is
comfortable at going into wide areas to close down the opposition winger from progressing with the
ball.

The 22-year-old is capable of playing short passes to midfielders, as well as long, diagonal accurate
passes to the forwards. Tomiyasu is a player who could be a smart fit in the Arsenal backline that needs
lifting and motivation after the horrific start to the 2021/22 campaign. Due to his versatility, he could be
used in different positions and various formations by Arteta as per the opposition and game’s demands.

Tomiyasu would add quality to the Gunners’ right-back position while being a straight upgrade on Cedric
Soares. Thus, Arsenal must quickly get the Japanese defender’s deal over the line.

All five players that were added to the Arsenal squad are young and have unique abilities, it remains to
be seen how Arteta will manage the players at his disposal when all of them are fit to play.