Arsenal CLOSE to new director, Ben White’s England talks & more | OneFootball

The harsh reality is that Arsenal haven’t really been in the title race for some time

The last few days may have ended Arsenal’s title hopes in most people’s eyes, but in truth their race was run way before the defeat by West Ham and the draw at Nottingham Forest.

The injuries to Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz put an end to any hopes of Mikel Arteta’s side being champions, as did the club’s decision not to bolster their attacking options in January.

Even with Saka, Jesus, Martinelli and Havertz fit I think it would have been a long shot, given the way Arsenal have struggled at times this season and the superb form that Liverpool have shown, but without them there was just no chance.

For Arsenal to have put any pressure on Liverpool they would have had to win pretty much every game between now and the end of the season and that just wasn’t going to happen. They simply do not have the firepower at present to put a run together like that.

The last two games have shown that and in all honesty the signs were there for all to see in the win against Leicester before Mikel Merino’s dramatic late introduction saw that game swing their way.

So now I think they just have to focus on finding a way to finish the season as well as they can.

The big fear now is that it all just fizzles out and Arsenal get sucked into a battle to stay in the Champions League places.

Arteta has to ensure that doesn’t happen. Until Martinelli and Saka come back he has to at least find a way to set the team up which makes them more of a threat going forward.

I actually thought they played quite well against Forest. They were awful against West Ham, but they were much, much better at the City Ground.

Declan Rice heads the ball away during Arsenal’s draw at Nottingham Forest (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

They just never looked like scoring though and I don’t really see that changing if Arteta continues to use the same system. He just doesn’t have the players for it.

I really think a switch in formation should be at the forefront of his mind. Use wing-backs to provide some width and then move either Ethan Nwaneri or Leandro Trossard into a more central area to play alongside Mikel Merino.

It’s not ideal of course, but needs must and the last few games have shown that the current way of playing isn’t really working.

Mikel Arteta will be frustrated but everyone at Arsenal has to share the blame

It’s tough to really say how Arteta feels about how the last two windows have been managed.

He made his feelings clear throughout January that he wanted new additions and so I’m sure he’ll be frustrated with what he’s been left with, but I don’t think he can just point the finger of blame towards the board. Nor do I think that he actually would.

I think it’s a collective thing. Everyone has to take shared responsibility in terms of what Arsenal have been left with this season.

The club opted to let attacking talent go last summer. Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah and Fabio Vieira were all allowed to leave, with a last minute panic move for Raheem Sterling the only addition.

It was a massive gamble, one they repeated in January even after they lost Saka and Jesus to injury.

They crossed their fingers and hoped the attackers they had left would be enough to see them through but that was never going to be the case. They were always going to pick up injuries due to the sheer volume of minutes they were going to have to play.

I can’t sit here right now and say why they made that decision and who exactly was to blame. But it was a massive error. A staggering one to be honest for a club who claim to be hellbent on winning the biggest trophies.

I think fans can justifiably question the ambition right now and there’s no doubt that there will be a lot of pressure on Arteta and the club to get this summer window right.

The club’s decision not to strengthen last summer or in January basically wrote this season off in terms of the title. That’s really tough to accept if you are a fan.

So they will be expecting big things this summer. Arteta and the club need to show that whatever they finally do in terms of improving the attack was worth the wait.

Arsenal narrow down list of sporting director candidates

We are getting towards the end of Arsenal’s search for a new sporting director.

It’s been a long process, but a decision is expected fairly imminently with the shortlist now narrowed down to a few candidates.

We know Jason Ayto, the club’s current interim sporting director, is still in the running, while talks have also been held with Roberto Olabe, who is due to leave Real Sociedad at the end of the season.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein also reported this week that Dan Ashworth, Andrea Berta and Thiago Scuro are also all in frame

I don’t think the reaction from the fanbase would be particularly favourable if Ayto were to get the job on a permanent basis, mainly as his reputation with supporters has been tarnished somewhat by the club’s inactivity during the January window.

I’m not sure that’s really fair because we don’t know the ins and out of exactly why Arsenal failed to bring anyone in.

Ayto is well thought of at Arsenal, but personally I do feel at this point that a more experienced external candidate would be better suited to the role.

The next year or two is hugely important at the club. The departure of Edu left a big void at a key time and that needs to be filled by someone who can come in and make an immediate impact, both in terms of transfers and contract renewals.

Arsenal like to promote internally, but sometimes it is good to bring in ideas from the outside to inject something fresh into a club.

All of the names in the running would do that. They are experienced, have worked at the top level of world football and have strong contacts across the game.

The key thing for Arsenal now is to just decide on who they think is best and make the appointment because there is a massive summer that is fast approaching.

Ben White’s potential England comeback is no surprise

Arsenal are not getting involved in the talks between Thomas Tuchel, England and Ben White.

But they will support White in whatever he decides to do in terms of his international future.

It’s no surprise that Tuchel has contacted White to discuss whether he would be open to playing international football once again. If I was England manager, it would be one of the first things I would do.

Ben White is one of the best defenders this country has got. He can play as a full-back or as a centre-back and is better on the ball than most of the defenders currently within the England set up.

He can be a starter for England. I absolutely believe that.

If he does go back, he will have to take some stick – both from fans and from sections of the media. He’ll know that though and he is not the type of character who will be bothered by it in the slightest.

So let’s wait and see what he decides. But as an England supporter, I really hope he comes back into the fold under this new coaching set-up. Thomas Tuchel’s squad will be better for it.