Arsenal’s disappointing 0-2 defeat at home to West Ham United marked the official halfway point of the Premier League campaign. And after 19 games Mikel Arteta’s side are firmly in the title discussion sitting in 2nd place and two points off current leaders Liverpool. The Gunners return to Champions League football has also been a success, with five wins from six groups games seeing Arsenal top the group with ease. Although their Carabao Cup campaign was ended by West Ham at London Stadium back in November
But how have Arsenal’s individual players got on so far this season? Here’s my ratings for every Arsenal first team player so far in the 2023/24 season.
DAVID RAYA: 6/10
Arsenal surprised many when Brentford goalkeeper David Raya was signed on an initial deal with a £27 million option to buy (which has now been triggered), and the Spaniard quickly took over from Aaron Ramsdale as the Gunners undisputed no.1 between the sticks in a move that was greeted with even more surprise from fans.
Raya has certainly not been perfect, his poor performance vs Luton at Kenilworth Road was a day to forget for the stopper, but he has had his moments and here’s hoping the mistakes will be few and far between in the second half of the campaign.
AARON RAMSDALE: 5/10
The 2023/24 season has been one of unexpectation for Aaron Ramsdale as even the man himself surely would not have seen his dropping from the starting XI coming. However, it certainly was somewhat on the cards. The Englishman had made mistakes towards the end of the previous campagin and a msitake in the 2-2 draw at home to Fulham at the start of the current season could be down to why Mikel Arteta opted to sign Raya.
Who knows what 2024 will hold for Ramsdale but if there’s one thing for certain, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see him as Arsenal no.1 again.
BEN WHITE: 6/10
Ben White became somewhat of a revolution at right-back last season for Arsenal and the defender was one of Arsenal’s consistently solid performers. And although White has continued that theme to an extent, he hasn’t had many real standout performances so far and has often been quiet going forwards
He’s still been decent, but hopefully we will see more of an offensive impact from White in the second half of the season.
WILLIAM SALIBA: 8/10
The Emirates era has seen many below par centre backs in Arsenal red since the move in 2006, but Frenchman William Saliba is certainly not in that list.
The 22 year-old is just a complete star, composed on the ball, blessed with pace, strong physically and in the tackle, Saliba really has it all. The first half of the 23/24 season has seen him be one of Arsenal’s best performers and potentially even their best while cementing himself as one of the best in his position not only in England but throughout the whole of Europe.
GABRIEL MAGALHÃES: 8/10
Since his move to North London in 2020, Brazilian defender Gabriel has established himself as a key player at the heart of Arsenal’s defence. And the centre-back once again has been great whilst going very much under the radar and barely puts a foot wrong.
His performance and goal in the 1-1 draw at Anfield has been a particular highlight as Gabriel continues to be one of Mikel Arteta’s most consistent players.
JURRIEN TIMBER: N/A
Dutchman Jurrien Timber was signed from Ajax in the summer, and had an impressive pre-season before suffering a horrible injury in the opening game vs Nottingham Forest. His return is highly anticipated and if he shows the same promise as he did in the summer it won’t be long before he establishes himself as a key player for Mikel Arteta
JAKUB KIWIOR: 6/10
Polish defender Jakub Kiwior hasn’t played too many minutes for Arsenal so far, but when he has he has mostly shown promise.
His versatility will continue to make him a strong squad option for Mikel Arteta in the second half of the season
TAKEHIRO TOMIYASU: 7/10
Last season saw Japanese international Takehiro Tomiyasu have limited minutes through injury and the form of Oleksandr Zinchenko.
There has been more injury problems this season, but when he has featured the defender has been mostly excellent, winning Arsenal’s Player Of The Month award for October. And the indifferent form of Zinchenko currently could see Tomiyasu return to the XI after his injury.
OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO: 5/10
Oleksandr Zinchenko enjoyed a fine first season in North London, however so far this season it’s been disappointing so far from the Ukrainian.
He has still impacted games going forwards, but his defensive issues have been far more exposed so far this season, being at fault for multiple goals Arsenal have conceded. And with Tomiyasu and TImber soon returning from injury, it could only be a matter of time for when Zinchenko’s place in the team is taken.
THOMAS PARTEY: N/A
It’s been a season full of more injury frustration for Thomas Partey as the Ghanian midfiedler has barely featured since the first few games of the season, however he is due to return soon and his return will certainly be a welcome one for Mikel Arteta.
JORGINHO: 7/10
Jorginho has continued to be a steady, reliable player when played as the Italian keeps proving to be a fantastic buy for just £12 million bringing solid performances on the pitch and experience and leadership off it.
His mistake in the North London Derby was poor, but apart from that the midfielder has barely put a foot wrong when he has featured.
DECLAN RICE: 9/10
Few players can make £100 million seem cheap, but Declan Rice has done that and more in his first six months in North London.
The midfielder has been nothing short of outstanding on and off the ball for Arsenal and has chipped in with a few important goals too, scoring last-minute winners against Manchester United and Luton Town and has arguably been the star of the entire Premier League so far.
Arsenal would be in a far worse place in the league without Rice. A fantastic signing and a future Arsenal legend for sure.
FABIO VIEIRA: 5/10
Fabio Vieira’s first season in England was underwhelming, and unfortunately the first six months of the following campaign have followed a similar theme for the young Portugese.
A strong start slowly faded and a red card against Burnley and a injury in training soon after mean the midfielder hasn’t featured for a while and hopefully he kicks on in 2024.
KAI HAVERTZ: 6/10
A lot has been made of Kai Havertz’s time at Arsenal so far since his £65 million move from London rivals Chelsea, and so far it’s been up and down but it seems like it’s going in the right direction.
The German endured a poor start, but a last minute winner away at Brentford in late November has kickstarted a resurgence for the German who has been one of Arsenal’s most impressive players over the last month, enjoying a fine run of scoring form in the process as he looks to win over the Arsenal fanbase. And if he continues playing like he has done recently, he’s certainly on his way to doing that.
MARTIN ODEGAARD: 7/10
The Arsenal captain won Arsenal’s player of the season for 2022/23, and although he hasn’t quite lived up to that impressive campaign so far, his season so far has still been mostly strong.
There’s no doubt the Norwegian needs to get scoring more again, but he continues to be one of Arsenal’s most creative and hardest-working players as he continues to be the beating heart of Mikel Arteta Arsenal team.
EMILE SMITH ROWE: N/A
Emile Smith Rowe has again seen injury problems, but when he has been fit he has seen minutes on the pitch be few and far between.
MOHAMED ELNENY: N/A
Like Smith Rowe, Mohamed Elneny as barely featured so far this season as his long stay at Arsenal looks to be coming to an end.
GABRIEL MARTINELLI: 6/10
It’s been a disappointing season for Gabriel Martinelli so far, as the Brazilian has often dazzled in the Champions League which does save his rating somewhat but the truth is the winger has often struggled for form in the Premier League.
He did score a famous winner over Manchester City but has only scored one other goal in the league so far this season, which was the opener away vs Luton Town. Martinelli will need to reignite his undoubtedly brilliant talent in the second half of the campaign.
LEANDRO TROSSARD: 5/10
Leandro Trossard hit the ground running in the second half of the 2022/23 season following his signing from Brighton in the January transfer window. However, the Belgian hasn’t quite continued that form so far this season despite an impressive pre-season.
The Belgian has chipped in with a few goals but in recent weeks, Trossard has struggled for form on both the left-wing and in midfield as he looks a player clearly low on confidence.
GABRIEL JESUS: 6/10
Similar to Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus has been on top form in the Champions League, however the striker has struggled in front of goal in the Premier League with only three goals too his name.
There’s no doubt Jesus is a fantastic footballer and an absolute joy to watch when he’s at his best. However, his theme of missing good chances in front of goal has seen many call for a striker signing in the January transfer window and questions remain on whether he is the striker to win Arsenal a Premier League title.
BUKAYO SAKA: 7/10
Arsenal’s attack has been somewhat hit and miss so far this season, and although Bukayo Saka himself hasn’t been perfect, he’s certainly been the best of the Arsenal forwards sitting as their current top scorer in all competitions. The starboy continues to be a threat almost every week despite often having two or three defender around him whenever he gets the ball in the final third.
EDDIE NKETIAH: 6/10
Eddie Nketiah has had a up and down season so far. A hat-trick at home vs Sheffield United has been mixed with various underwhelming cameos off the bench. There’s no doubt the striker can score goals at this level but whether he has the consistency to score goals on a regular basis remains to be seen.
REISS NELSON: N/A
Reiss Nelson signed a new contract in the summer, however he hasn’t seen as many minutes as he would’ve liked. However a strong performance vs PSV and Trossard and Martinelli out of form could provide an opening for the Hale End graduate.