Keown: Arsenal ‘need to strengthen in all departments’ if they want to win league

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has told William Hill that Arsenal need to improve every area of their squad this summer if they are to surpass their second-placed Premier League finish next season.

“To go one better next season and win the title, they’ll need to strengthen in all departments,” Keown said at the FWA Awards. “Definitely in midfield – Thomas Partey has been injured for long periods and also had a dip in form this season, so they’ll want to bring in another midfielder.

“Also at right-back, there’s an area that they’ll want to strengthen, with Takehiro Tomiyasu having been injured, so they’ll need to buy a recognised right-back as well.

“But I’m sure the club will target a top midfield player, they’ve been linked with lots of players, so let’s see what happens for the start of next season.”

Saliba injury really cost Arsenal’s title challenge

Keown also went on to speak about Arsenal’s failed title challenge this season, saying that the injury to William Saliba was a major blow to their hopes of securing top spot.

“It’s a season in which Arsenal have given Arsenal fans that feeling of being competitive,” he said. “They fought to the end. They slipped away, which surprised me, having of course been in front in those two games – 2-0 at Liverpool, 2-0 at West Ham. I was cautious because I knew that those games were difficult away from home and in the end they fell away.

“But to draw a game at home against Southampton who have gone down, when you look at that it’s almost unforgivable. They let it slip but there’s an awful lot to build upon. The strength in depth is what cost them in the end.

“I think if William Saliba had stayed fit, it would have been an interesting battle against Erling Haaland when Arsenal faced Manchester City. But he wasn’t available and that really cost Arsenal at the end of the season.”

Keown added: “Man City can go on and win the Treble now. They’ve won five Premier Leagues in the last six seasons but I feel like this is just the beginning. It’s Pep Guardiola’s team proper. At Barcelona he kind of inherited the group, but this is his team – it’s just Kevin De Bruyne that he didn’t sign. I think if they can pull it off and win the Champions League then we might see them dominate Europe for years to come.”