Since Unai Emery has been appointed Arsenal manager, the club has made three significant moves in terms of players and from this we can start to see the style that the new man wants to implement at the club. In this article, we take a look at each deal and grade it.
1 – Stephan Lichtsteiner
Emery completed his first deal as Arsenal manager at the end of May, signing former Juventus defender Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer.
An experienced defender, captain of Switzerland with 100 caps and more than 200 appearances for Juventus. He may be 34, but the tactical nous and experience he can add on and off the pitch will certainly be important. It’s good to see Emery notice our lack of depth at fullback and it is not a foregone conclusion that he will be back up to Bellerin, with the young Spanish defender struggling for form recently. Hopefully, the arrival of Licht will push Bellerin to improve, and you’d hope he’ll learn a thing or two from Lichtsteiner who can play as a traditional right-back or as a wing back if we revert to a 5 at the back formation.
Head coach Emery said: “Stephan brings huge experience and leadership to our squad. He’s a player with great quality with a very positive and determined attitude. Stephan will improve us on and off the pitch.”
This isn’t a deal that will get the fans off of their seats, but it is one that shows Emery is addressing the right areas of the squad and filling it with some more personality and experience. Considering value (free) and all the other factors, I rate this deal as an 8/10.
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