Summary
Arsenal have been exciting their supporters on and off the pitch over the last 12 months as Mikel Arteta's side have made great strides as a club.
The Spanish head coach guided them to an excellent second-placed finish, whilst playing some sensational football, to secure a place in the Champions League for the 2023/24 campaign.
Arteta and Edu have followed up on that sublime season by adding to the squad with some terrific signings. Declan Rice, who joined for a club-record £105m, Kai Havertz, and Jurrien Timber have all come through the door with the aim of improving the team.
Who will start up front for Arsenal next season?
The arrival of Havertz means that Arsenal are now overloaded with players who can play as a number nine ahead of next term; including the German international, Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah, and Folarin Balogun.
Jesus scored 11 times in 24 Premier League starts as Arteta's first-choice in that position but Balogun has returned to The Emirates after a prolific spell in Ligue 1 with Reims.
The Gunners have reportedly placed a price tag of £50m on the impressive youngster's head amid interest from Serie A giants Inter, which could scare off potential suitors over the coming weeks.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not the newly-capped USA international fits in with Arteta's plans for the months to come.
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Paul Brown has suggested that the 22-year-old ace will be presented with an opportunity to prove himself.
"I think what they do in practice really depends on the player and whether he is willing to be patient enough for his chance. It looks, to me, like Balogun is ready for minutes in the Premier League and I think a lot of people would like to see him getting some (minutes) this season.
"I think it would be a mistake if Arteta was to try and cold shoulder him or tell him he needs to go out on loan. I think it's time for him to be given a chance to stake his claim. I think he will be given a chance to show what he's got in training during pre-season."
How many goals did Folarin Balogun score last season?
The exciting youngster scored 21 Ligue 1 goals on loan with Reims throughout the 2022/23 campaign and could be a surprise foil for Havertz, instead of Jesus or Nketiah – as neither of them have scored more than 14 goals in a league season.
Credit has to be given to Balogun as he took the leap to go out on a temporary basis to prove himself and did exactly that. The superb finisher was able to be a reliable scorer in a major European league, which bodes well for his chances of breaking into Arsenal's team.
Havertz, who can play in a multitude of positions across the midfield and attack, has the passing quality to complement a prolific goalscorer at the top end of the pitch for the Gunners.
The former Chelsea attacker ranks in the top 9% of forwards across the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days for progressive passes per 90. He is also within the top 8% for passes attempted per 90 and pass success rate in that time, as per FBref.
This shows that the 24-year-old magician is among the best in his position when it comes to progressing play and using his passing to find teammates in advanced areas of the pitch, without giving up the ball to the opposition on a regular basis.
He could, therefore, be perfect alongside Balogun as the USMNT star ranks below the average in passes attempted and progressive passes per 90 over the last 365 days.
However, the goal machine does place in the top 7% of strikers for non-penalty xG accumulated per 90, which highlights his natural instinct to find excellent goalscoring positions.
Now, imagine Havertz using his ability on the ball to progress play from deep to find Balogun to punish teams with his goal threat in the final third.