The Gunners’ transfer activity has been questioned this season, but most of their new acquisitions have performed excellently in recent weeks.

Had David Raya not come up with two stunning saves Tuesday night in Cheap Replica Arsenal soccer shirt penalty-kick victory over Porto, there is a good chance that North London’s red half would have spontaneously ignited in a fit of frustrated rage.

Throughout the two games of this Champions League last 16 match, the Portuguese bombarded the Gunners with every form of crap imaginable, leaving fans, staff and players totally upset. Despite their cynical efforts, it was ultimately Arsenal who booked their place in the quarter-finals, with Raya playing a major role – literally – in their historic victory.

After the match, Mikel Arteta was full of praise for his No. 1 and revealed he was not surprised that the Spaniard refused to succumb to the pressure: “I was convinced this would be the case. You see him those first few days here, what he had to go through and how he did it with that composure. You look at his body language and the decisions he makes, he doesn’t get very upset. That’s an important quality for that position.”

Ramsdale rejection drew criticism

Dat Raya de matchwinner bleek te zijn, was een bevestiging van Arteta’s brutale en moedige beslissing om Aaron Ramsdale in de zomer te vervangen als zijn eerste keeper.

Die stap was destijds niet erg populair, zowel bij een deel van de fans als in de media. Raya werd niet meteen opgenomen in de basiself en maakte zijn debuut in de Premier League pas in september, maar toen hij eenmaal zijn debuut had gemaakt, werd het al snel duidelijk dat hij nu Arteta’s eerste keus was tussen de sticks, ondanks dat de coach een utopische visie schetste waarin de twee zouden rouleren – misschien zelfs tijdens een wedstrijd.

Arteta werd bekritiseerd door een groot aantal mediafiguren voor zijn meedogenloosheid, waaronder David Seaman en Peter Schmeichel, waarbij Ramsdale’s vader zelfs schandalig harde woorden sprak.

Arteta’s meedogenloosheid beloond

Maar na wat wankele beginfase heeft Raya meer dan bewezen dat hij een verbetering is ten opzichte van de man die hij verving in het doel. De Spanjaard heeft met name gezorgd voor een duidelijke verbetering in de manier waarop Arsenal dit seizoen omgaat met ballen in het strafschopgebied. Geen enkele keeper in de Premier League heeft dit seizoen een hoger percentage (14,9%) van de voorzetten opgeëist, terwijl Ramsdale in 2022-23 slechts 5,8% voor zijn rekening nam.

Raya is ook veel comfortabeler in de opbouwfase. Zijn passvoltooiing is beter dan die van Ramsdale vorig seizoen en zijn snelle worpen en doeltrappen creëren regelmatig goede kansen voor zijn teamgenoten.

Als er desondanks nog een vraagteken te plaatsen is bij Raya’s superioriteit ten opzichte van Ramsdale, dan is dat het stoppen van schoten. Geen van beide doelmannen behoort op dit gebied tot de absolute wereldtop, maar dinsdag bewees de ex-Brentford-speler dat hij de wedstrijd kan beslissen.

In de Arsenal folklore geschreven

Nog voordat de strafschoppen begonnen, moest Raya al in actie komen. Hij redde goed op Evanilson in de eerste helft en Francisco Conceicao in de tweede helft. Toen zijn grote moment aanbrak, genoot hij ervan. Hij dook naar links om de pogingen van Wendell en Galeno vanaf 12 meter te stoppen, terwijl hij ook de strafschop van Marko Grujic wist te voorkomen.

Raya was begrijpelijkerwijs opgetogen na full-time en zei: “Dit betekent alles. Je speelt voetbal voor dit soort dingen en ik heb geluk dat ik voor Arsenal speel, dat ik in de Champions League speel en dat ik door ben naar de kwartfinales. We gaan gewoon van de avond genieten.”

Voor het eerst in 14 jaar een plek bij de laatste acht bemachtigen is een belangrijk moment voor de club, en eindelijk een Europese knock-outwedstrijd winnen in het Emirates (na vijf eerdere, mislukte pogingen) zorgde ervoor dat Arteta een flinke aap uit zijn mouw kreeg. Dat het een van zijn meest bekritiseerde aanwinsten was die hen daar bracht, maakt de overwinning alleen maar zoeter.

Jorginho heeft nog steeds die magie

Raya is niet de enige van Arteta’s aanwinsten die onlangs het ongelijk van de twijfelaars hebben bewezen. Toen Jorginho in januari 2023 naar de club kwam, waren er zorgen. Arsenal had in het verleden haar vingers verbrand aan het aantrekken van ouder wordende Chelsea spelers en supporters waren gefrustreerd dat de Gunners er niet in waren geslaagd om hun topdoelwit op het middenveld binnen te halen: Moises Caicedo.

The Italian’s slow start at the Emirates did little to alleviate this disappointment either. He was even linked with Fenerbahce last summer and made a bad mistake in the Gunners’ disappointing North London derby in September.

After that, Jorginho seemed to be given the status of a supporting player under Arteta. Recently, however, the midfielder has blossomed with a string of performances as player of the match. He was vital in unraveling Sevilla’s stubborn defense at the Emirates in November, and was absolutely brilliant as the Gunners stormed to a 3-1 victory over Liverpool in February.

‘He connects everyone’

After that display, Arteta revealed that Jorginho has been suffering from a lingering injury all season, a complaint he now seems to have shaken off.

“(He was) incredible. I always say he is an example, a role model. He was in a lot of pain because he had been walking around with a problem for months. He didn’t want to quit, he played with that. He trained, always first in and last out…. I am really lucky with such players,” the Arsenal boss said.

He added: “I imagined how much we would need him. He really is an intelligent player, his greatest quality is that he makes those around him better. He connects everyone.”

Arteta is right. In recent weeks, Jorginho has been an almost permanent fixture in the base of the midfield, leading the Arsenal attack perfectly. It was more of the same against Cheap FC Porto Child Home Jersey, because he picked his passes great and broke up the game.

His presence also allows Declan Rice to slide forward more regularly, and he also has a good rapport with Gunners captain Martin Odegaard.

Caicedo, in stark contrast, has yet to find his feet at Cheap Replica Chelsea soccer shirt. At this point, there is little doubt that Arteta and co were right to pick up the experienced player for a similar amount. He is exactly what they need and exudes composure to his younger teammates.

Havertz begins to find his stride

Jorginho’s growth in importance is mirrored by the improvement of another ex-Chelsea man. No Arteta signing has received as much negative criticism this season as Kai Havertz, as his £65 million ($83 million) transfer fee was repeatedly questioned when Arsenal were looking for money for a goal-scoring striker in January.

Since the turn of the year, Havertz has finally managed to find the net regularly, scoring four goals and two assists in his last four Premier League appearances. During this period he scored the decisive winning goal against Brentford, among others, and last Saturday the German’s powerful header provided the equalizer at the Emirates.

Of course, not every question mark has been answered, as Havertz sleepwalked through the game against Porto and made a few petulant fouls. But even when he is not entirely effective, he has a habit of contributing to the result. Tuesday, for example, he coolly tucked away his penalty in the shootout, continuing to prove that he might be an inspiring contract after all.

rossard & Kiwior look good

They may not have been in the news as often as Havertz, but fellow newcomers Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior also proved their worth in 2024. Like Jorginho, Trossard was dismissed as another “safe” purchase compared to the more exotic Mykhailo Mudryk, with whom Arsenal were linked during the same period. But his list of iconic Gunners moments grew further on Tuesday night when he finished beautifully after a brilliant pass from Odegaard and brought Arsenal level.

Kiwior, meanwhile, is growing nicely into his role as left back. Considering how hard he had to get first playing minutes early in his career at Emirates, the fact that he is now above Oleksandr Zinchenko in the defensive pecking order speaks volumes about his patience and reliability.

Since coming on as a substitute at half-time during last month’s win over Liverpool, he has made the position of defender his own. Since then, he has started every game and, apart from the away defeat to Porto, Arsenal has won every game.

Kiwior is not the flashiest striker and his arrival last January did not excite many supporters, but he is building confidence in defense and, for just over £20m ($25m), is starting to look very good.

Arteta was right all along – but Arsenal cannot rest

After being questioned for most of January because of his spending choices, Arteta will take great satisfaction from the fact that some of his most controversial acquisitions have worked out well for him this calendar year. But the Gunners cannot afford to rest on their laurels over the summer.

Despite Havertz’s improved form, his previous goal scoring drought raises doubts about whether he is the man to take charge at Arsenal in the coming years. The club has been linked with Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney in the recent past, and everything seems to indicate that Arteta needs to bet big on a reliable, attacking pivot at the end of the season.

Right now, Arsenal is in a much better position than it appeared to be in January. And for that, Arteta and his recruitment team deserve credit, with much humility shown by the Gunners’ under-fire newcomers in recent weeks.