The player Arsenal MUST sign to stop Man City domination

Cameron Smith

• 7 May 2024 18:15 BST
• 5 min read

The 2023-24 Premier League title race is set to go down to the final day as Arsenal and Manchester City battle it out to be crowned champions of England.

Liverpool had also been in the running for the majority of the campaign, but a late season blip has ensured the Reds will not end Jurgen Klopp’s reign with a second league triumph.

Instead, Arsenal and Man City will once again finish as the top two teams in England, following a similarly-enthralling title fight last season. With Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola at the helm, there is no denying which two clubs are currently the best in the Premier League.

EXCLUSIVE: Crystal Palace brace for Olise and Eze departures with move for Arsenal winger

That trend is likely to continue next year too as Liverpool adapt to life under Arne Slot, Manchester United look to fix their current problems and Chelsea’s young squad continues to develop.

While Arsenal have been extremely competitive over the past two campaigns, they still appear to be a level below Man City’s incredibly high standards, and this summer will be crucial as the Gunners look to end Guardiola’s dominance in the English top flight.

FootballTransfers understands that Arsenal are set to break their spending record in a single transfer window and that level of investment may be needed to finally topple Man City.

READ MORE: 10 players who could join Arsenal this summer

Why Arsenal must prevent Man City from signing Michael Olise

Man City are obviously excellent, but there is a clear weakness in their current squad.

Jack Grealish has undoubtedly taken a step backwards from last season, and while Jeremy Doku has shown promise he is yet to live up to the heights of Riyad Mahrez. Furthermore, Bernardo Silva is constantly linked with an exit and Phil Foden is unquestionably better in central areas.

As a result, signing a new winger - preferably someone who excels on the right - should be Man City’s main priority this summer.

The rest of their squad is still extremely talented, and signing an elite right winger would go a long way to ensuring their stranglehold on the English top flight continues.

If Arsenal want to break Man City’s dominance, then preventing Guardiola from signing Michael Olise should bizarrely be one of their key goals during the upcoming transfer window.

As things stand, Arsenal, Man Utd and Chelsea are all reportedly interested in Olise, while Man City have barely been mentioned as a possible destination.

STATS

Michael Olise

AM (CR), M (R)

C. Palace

Michael Olise

AM (CR), M (R)

C. Palace

Premier League

2023/24

• 17

  Games

• 9

  Goals

• 4

  Assists

View all stats

However, the Crystal Palace star looks tailor made for Guardiola’s current system.

Olise is elegant on the ball, possesses an immaculate first touch, thrives when cutting onto his stronger left foot and has incredible output numbers; all of which are traits that prime Mahrez was also known for.

His ceiling is sky high and he is the best Premier League player not currently playing for a ‘top six’ club.

If Man City are able to land Olise, it would be a huge coup for Guardiola and it could prove pivotal in next season’s title race. The Frenchman is a sublime talent and he would arguably take Man City to another level. As a result, Arsenal must do everything in their power to sign Olise if Man City show an interest this summer.

As well as preventing Guardiola from adding the France U21 star to his squad, Olise would be a superb addition at the Emirates Stadium.

Bukayo Saka has evidently played far too much football over the past few years and acquiring Olise would allow Arteta to rotate his forward line more consistently - ensuring Saka remains at peak physical capability throughout an entire season.

Olise is already world class and Man City will extend their Premier League dominance if they sign him. As a result, Arsenal must ensure this doesn’t happen if they want to finally end Guardiola’s stranglehold in England.