The Gunners are strengthened by five signings but must turn Champions League disaster into a domestic advantage
Leaving aside the failure to qualify for the Champions League group stage for a moment – which, make no mistake, is catastrophic – and Arsenal’s summer has been a good one. Jonas Eidevall has bolstered his side with five top-class players.
The injury crisis that rocked the club left fans and players alike wondering “what if” at the close of the season, with the squad falling narrowly short in their Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg and battling to secure third place. Beth Mead is on her way back from her ACL injury and targeting being involved from the start of the campaign, Vivianne Miedema is a step behind her while Leah Williamson has started running and Laura Wienroither has said her recovery is on track. The steady return of those players will be a big boost both to the squad and morale. Arsenal need a positive domestic season and have the players to challenge.
“Of course, it hurts because we had such a good experience in Europe last season and we wanted to build on that,” said Eidevall after. There were caveats to the defeat. Like Manchester City last season, they had a very short turnaround after a major tournament, with some players having only a week off after the World Cup before being thrown into Champions League preparations and no chance for any warm-up games prior to the qualifying fixtures.