Premier League preview: A critical season for Arsenal

If last season was a significant one at the Emirates where does that leave the coming campaign in terms of importance?

Shorn of Champions League football, with the fans just waiting to turn on Arsene Wenger and the club's biggest players entering the final year of their contracts, 2017-18 looks as though it will be critical to the club's long-term fortunes.

In some ways little has changed at the Emirates, says EPL Index. "The fans' opinion on their long-serving manager remains split, and key players are linked with moves away." There are also familiar questions about the squad's ability to last the distance and whether Wenger will be able to withstand the pressure when things go wrong. On the other hand the FA Cup win meant a difficult season ended on a high.

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"Storm clouds loom in the form of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil's contracts as both the players'deals are set to expire at the end of the season. Allowing both to leave for free next summer is unthinkable for the Gunners and the club could have some big decisions to make before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month," says BT Sport.

"It's not all doom and gloom though. French international striker Alexandre Lacazette has arrived for big money to bolster the attack while Bosnian left-back Sead Kolasinac has been brought in to help keep them out at the other end."

But is there a change of direction afoot, asks the Daily Mirror? "To describe Wenger as a new man may be overdoing it, but the fact that he has let so many players run down their deals and resisted the urge to sell them suggests a new approach.

"Wenger, for so many years, has been focused on building an Arsenal team for the future. Now, with the end of his career in sight, he is clearly prepared to take more risks and aim for short-term success.

"It is not just Arsenal's transfer dealings that suggest a highly motivated Wenger, his decision to bring Jens Lehmann into the fold as a first team coach shows an acceptance that help is needed behind the scenes."

Another change is the 3-4-3 formation, which "brought solidity to the team during a difficult patch last season while not curtailing their attacking play".

Strength in depth or dead wood?

Arsenal have one of the biggest squads in the league, with 25 internationals on their books. But is that a good thing? Charlie Nicholas of Sky Sports is unsure.

"They don't have the best XI, maybe not the best 15, but the squad is among the best," he says. He adds, however, that there's lots of "dead wood" at the Emirates. "Arsenal's numbers are terrifying in terms of the players sat around who aren't doing anything."

Most of the transfer rumours this summer have involved forwards says Louise Taylor of The Guardian. But this is an area in which the Gunners are "currently overstaffed". In addition to Lacazette, Sanchez and Ozil, Wenger also has Danny Welbeck, Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and Lucas Perez vying for a front three berth.

In midfield, the Gunners are over endowed with "useful backup" players, like Jack Wilshere, Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny. "It does feel that a powerful signing in the midfield heartland should be a matter of priority".

Can they challenge?

The Gunners remain an enigma and there's no clear answer. "On their day, Arsenal can beat any team on the planet," says Nicholas of Sky Sports. "When they are fluent and confident then they are unstoppable."

But he predicts a return to the fourth-place finishes of old, despite the fact that Wenger will focus his resources on the Premier League.

The Guardian writers foresee a slide further down the table to sixth. Phil McNulty of the BBC predicts a second successive fifth place.