The problem of owning a strong squad like Arsenal is that it is very difficult to find contracts that can upgrade the main squad. In the summer transfer window of 2026, they still recruit Ezri Konsa, Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis.
Konsa and Guimaraes have made significant contributions, while Tzolis has also integrated quite quickly on the left wing even though he still needs more time to prove his ability in the Premier League.
After Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli left, Arsenal spent most of the summer looking for a left winger star. They were linked with Vinicius Junior, Morgan Rogers, Bradley Barcola and Julian Alvarez but could not complete any deal.
That makes many people think that the "Gunners" have left a big gap in the squad. If they decline, the failure to recruit a world-class left winger will certainly be mentioned.
However, there is a reality that needs to be recognized: Arsenal just won the Premier League without needing such a star.
Martinelli and Trossard are both good players, who have contributed important moments, but they have never been central in the way Arsenal organizes attacks.
Last season, The Gunners made fewer left-wing attacks than any other team in the Premier League. Only 31.8% of their touches in the opponent's half took place in 1/3 of the left wing.
Conversely, the right wing is the area Arsenal exploits the most, with 41.7% of touches in the opponent's half. Bukayo Saka is the focus in the way they deploy the ball in this corridor.
That trend is even clearer this season. After 3 Premier League matches, 47.5% of Arsenal's attacks came from the right wing, while the left wing only accounted for 27.4%. This is the highest and lowest rate in the league respectively.
Arsenal is also taking advantage of that gap very well. In the victory over Chelsea, Kai Havertz often drifted to the right to create more troops alongside Saka, before leaning into the center and scoring the equalizer.
In the victory against Napoli, Martin Odegaard also appeared on the right wing many times. He and Saka passed the ball to each other more than any other teammate pair. Arsenal continuously circulated the ball to this area and created up to 4.05 expected goals, their highest level in a Champions League match since the 2012-2013 season.
Even when Saka left the field, Arsenal still did not change their playing style. Tzolis also moved to the right wing, participating in a combination of 29 passes before assisting Odegaard to score the decisive goal.
That shows that Arsenal is not completely dependent on an individual. They have built a system flexible enough to maintain attack even when Saka is no longer on the field.
The left wing is also not a weakness. Tzolis has had 4 assists in his first 5 official appearances. Riccardo Calafiori also plays a special role when he is often centered, even appearing as a striker when Havertz leaves the position.
Tzolis is unlikely to maintain his current form throughout the season, but Arsenal still has Saka on the opposite side. With a system operating effectively, they may have found a solution to the problem that the summer transfer window seemed to leave behind.
