Arsenal roll dice with this season to ensure future is not a gamble

Arsenal will have around €200m to spend this summer. If they land all their transfer targets in the summer and sweep all before them next season they may yet have the last laugh.

After losing to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final, Arsenal head to Dubai for a warm weather winter training break. Pic: AP Photo/Jon Super

NO Wembley final for Arsenal next month. And, after coming here running on empty and a misfiring first leg of missed opportunities in London last month, no surprise. That applies in equal measure to the loyal, hopeful supporters here, manager Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal hierarchy and their players, who will today be checking into their luxurious Dubai accommodation for a much-needed warm weather winter training break.

Maybe they should have gone a day or two early - ideally in the glow of Sunday’s five-goal win over Manchester City - and saved themselves this humiliation. If only they had a new goalscoring signing to bed in while they are away to take the edge off. The irony that Arteta’s NO.1 transfer target Alexander Isak’s attacking prowess was effectively the difference between the two sides in both legs too was palpable. With Brazil attacker Gabriel Martinelli going off before half-time with what looked like a hamstring problem, Arsenal’s winter window failures could be even more damaging.