So, here we are again.  Arsenal went another season without a title bringing it to 12 seasons since Arsene Wenger lifted the Premier League trophy.  With Pep Guardiola arriving a Manchester City to maximize their deep pockets, Jose Mourinho presumably bringing order (and new star signings) to Old Trafford after three years in the wilderness and Antonio Conte getting Chelsea (and their deep pockets) back on track there is a feeling that it MUST be this season or never for Wenger and Arsenal.  The Gunners don’t have the financial muscle to compete with those three clubs if they are being well run and well managed.  Last year saw all three disappoint which presumably opened the window for the Gunners but Leicester City stormed past Arsene Wenger’s men and claimed an incredibly unlikely title.  With 2016-17 being a transitional year for City, United and Chelsea under new managers the window is still at least slightly ajar, but you get the feeling it is closing quickly.  Can the Gunners claim one last title under Wenger before he rides off into the sunset or will it be another season of disappointment?

Last Season in Brief

The song remains the same.  The unwillingness to address obvious needs in last summer’s transfer window.  The sprint to first place on or around the halfway point of the season.  The key injuries that exposed the failures in the summer transfer window.  The February/March slump that sees the Gunners go from “competing on four fronts” to “wait ‘til next year” in a matter of a few frustrating weeks.  In particular Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Jack Wilshere frustrated with injuries and failures to take significant steps forward.  Francis Coquelin took a step backward in addition to suffering a long term injury.  Gabriel raised serious questions about his ability to be anything more than a reserve at center back.  Alex Iwobi and Joel Campbell were pleasant surprises when given a chance.  Mohamed Elneny didn’t start playing regularly until late in the season but looked to have adjusted well for someone taking a big step up in competitive level.

The Summer So Far

As they did last summer, Arsenal hit the market aggressively early with the signing of Granit Xhaka.  The Swiss international looks like he could play either holding spot in a 4-2-3-1.  It looked like the Gunners might continue their aggressive approach to the summer when news emerged that they were close to signing Jamie Vardy from Leicester City but their momentum seems to have slowed significantly since he turned them down to remain with the defending champions.  Arsene Wenger has thus far reverted to type by bringing in one “for the future” in the form of Japanese international Takuma Asano who will likely be loaned out for at least one season if not more. 

In addition to the arrivals, the Gunners have parted ways with aging veterans Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky, and Mathieu Flamini which should free up some significant salary to be used on new recruits.

Remaining Summer Business

Arsenal are still in search of a significant upgrade over Olivier Giroud to spearhead the attack.  They have been linked with Alvaro Morata, Romelu Lukaku and Alexandre Lacazette since the move for Vardy fell through.  Any of the three would represent a departure for Arsenal under Wenger as each would likely cost in the neighborhood of £50million. 

The Gunners would also do well to recruit their next starting center back.  Per Mertesacker is reaching the age where he will start to decline and Gabriel has failed to show that he’s ready to take the big German’s place. 

Finally, there are questions about the futures of Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and perhaps there should be questions about the future of Aaron Ramsey who can be an excellent player but doesn’t seem to have an obvious place in the Arsenal starting eleven. 

Salary Cap Superstars

• Mesut Ozil – He was on track to break the Premier League assist record until Arsenal’s second half slump.  No matter the game format, Ozil is a fantasy star. He’s no bargain but he’s worth the money.
• Alexis Sanchez – The big worry with Sanchez is that he has been playing football for nearly three consecutive years without a significant break.  Alexis was spectacular as Chile won their second consecutive Copa America but his high impact style combined with a ton of minutes is going to lead to a more significant injury than the one he suffered last winter sooner rather than later.  I’d invest my superstar forward money elsewhere in salary cap leagues.
• Hector Bellerin – A true two-way outside back, Bellerin contributes clean sheets, interceptions, tackles won, chances created, successful crosses, assists and even the occasional goal and he’s still developing.  He enters the season as the presumptive best right back in the Premier League.
• Petr Cech – The former Chelsea man faced just enough shots to keep his saves number high while leading the league in clean sheets.  This should continue for at least another season with Cech among the biggest point producers in all salary cap formats.  Just remember that the difference between the best and worst goalkeepers in fantasy isn’t nearly as significant as at other positions so don’t overpay for Cech when a cheaper alternative will get you similar production and leave your powder dry for bigger names at other positions.

Draft Details

• Olivier Giroud – The worry drafting Giroud is that Arsenal will finally replace him with a big name forward after you do draft him.  I’d rather draft Christian Benteke presuming he’ll end up at Crystal Palace or West Ham than drafting Giroud and hoping that Arsenal don’t bring in a starter in front of him.  Giroud is a lottery ticket, he could pay off big if he remains the starter but like most lottery tickets the chances of a winning payout is slim.
• Granit Xhaka – I really like the acquisition of Xhaka in the real world.  He’s a very good midfielder that does a lot of the little things that help a team win.   The big problem is that the little things he does don’t really show up in fantasy stats.  Nothing in Xhaka’s history points toward a big fantasy season in any format.  I’m not planning to draft him at all and I certainly caution against drafting him with the intention of him starting for your fantasy team.
• Ramsey/Iwobi/Walcott/Ox/Coquelin/Cazorla/Wilshere/Campbell/Elneny – Here’s what we know: Xhaka, Ozil, and Sanchez will start in three of the six midfield/forward spots as often as they’re available.   Giroud or someone not currently in the squad will take a fourth spot.  That means that there are two spots open for the eight names listed here.   Presumably one of Coquelin, Elneney, Cazorla, or Wilshere will start with Xhaka at the base of midfield (hopefully the Ramsey-as-miscast-holding-player experiment is over) with one of Iwobi/Campbell/Walcott/Ox/Ramsey playing the remaining wide attacking position. Regardless of which two get the majority of minutes in those two spots, there are going to be a bunch of big names sitting a lot and a lot of fantasy managers upset at the performance of the “big name” that they drafted too early. Buyer beware.