Every Arsenal player rated as Gunners finish second to Man City once again in 2023/24
For the second season running, Arsenal finished second only to Manchester City in the Premier League.
The Gunners managed an incredible 89 points in 2023/24, which is the same total City beat them with last season, enough to have won the league in 16 of the previous 28 campaigns, and represents their second-best season in club history behind only the 2003/04 invincibles (90 points). Still, it wasn’t quite enough to topple Guardiola’s machine.
Nevertheless, this is an Arsenal side that only appears to be growing under Mikel Arteta and one their fans can be proud of. Who have been the standout performers this time around? Here are their full player ratings from the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
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David Raya – 7.5/10 – Raya has definitely brought more value with the ball at his feet rather than his shot-stopping ability. Yet, you simply cannot ignore his Golden Glove and total of 16 clean sheets, which accounts for half of his Premier League appearances this season.
Aaron Ramsdale – 3.5/10 – Ramsdale is the man who has had to sit in the shadows following Raya’s arrival. What happens next for him remains to be seen, but he’ll not be happy with losing his place.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6/10 – Zinchenko looked great once again early in the campaign but as it has gone on, the Ukrainian has come under fire for his defensive abilities. He now finds himself out of the starting XI more often than not and faces an uncertain summer.
Ben White – 8/10 – White has enjoyed another excellent season, providing great value on both sides of the ball down the right flank and filling in at his old centre-back position whenever needed. White has made himself a fan favourite at the Emirates, pocketing a number of elite wingers this season.
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6/10 – Tomiyasu remains incredibly popular, always giving his best and turning in solid performances whenever called upon. Injuries haven’t helped him this season, but the Japan international had a nice moment with a goal in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Everton on the final day.
Jakub Kiwior – 6.5/10 – Kiwior’s spell filling in at left-back in February and early March was quite remarkable, with the Polish defender enjoying a run of one goal and three assists in five league appearances. He has otherwise been a bit-part player, filling in across the backline whenever Arteta has needed him, but he’s done the job well.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 8.5/10 – While Saliba understandably takes most of the credit in the Arsenal backline, spare some praise for Gabriel, who actually outperforms the Frenchman in most metrics and for that reason, may even be classed as an ‘underrated’ player.
William Saliba – 8.5/10 – Even so, there’s no getting away from just how elite Saliba is. Without him, Arsenal can turn into a shambolic mess. Saliba just has that intangible quality of calming down those around him and providing assured leadership.
Declan Rice – 9.5/10 – You have to wonder if Rice even knew he had a £100m price tag over his head when he arrived at Arsenal this summer. The former West Ham captain has been a transformative presence at the base of Arteta’s midfield, with seven goals and eight assists not even coming close to telling the story of a player who has controlled possession, put out defensive fires and done everything else in between.
Thomas Partey – 3/10 – Rice thriving has done little to help Partey’s chances of playing for Arsenal. Granted, the Ghana international has struggled with injuries this time around but even when he has come into the side, he’s not looked at his old, composed, combative self. You have to wonder if he still has a place at the Emirates.
Jorginho – 6.5/10 – Jorginho has proven himself a much more astute back-up to Rice and has often provided stability just at the point when things are getting most chaotic in games throughout this season. Age is no longer on Jorginho’s side but his precision passing and calming presence continue to make him invaluable.
Martin Odegaard – 9/10 – “Odegaard is mesmerising at the moment, I think he’s become the best in that position in terms of the way in which he plays,” said Gary Neville following Arsenal’s 5-0 thrashing of Chelsea in April. Ending with eight goals and 10 assists in the Premier League alone, it’s hard to argue with Neville.
Since the start of the 2016/17 season, only one player has won possession in the final third 40+ times in a single Premier League campaign:
◎ 49 – Martin Ødegaard (22/23)
◉ 41 – Martin Ødegaard (23/24)Now he's done it twice. ✌️ pic.twitter.com/D8Q60DeeW7
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 19, 2024
Fabio Vieira – 3/10 – Vieira very quickly became a popular figure during his debut season but this campaign has been a nightmare due to injuries, restricting the Portuguese playmaker to just 11 Premier League appearances. He’s another who faces a difficult summer.
Emile Smith Rowe – 3/10 – The same can be said for Emile Smith Rowe, who can’t seem to find the fitness or consistency to fulfil his dream of becoming an Arsenal mainstay. It feels like there’s just too much quality ahead of him now.
Bukayo Saka – 9/10 – Arsenal need to find another double-barreled midfielder so their supporters can keep their Bukayo Saka song. He’s going nowhere, finishing the season as the Gunners’ top scorer (16) and second only to Odegaard (10) for assists (9). It feels like Saka has now fully joined the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden among England’s truly elite players.
Gabriel Martinelli – 6.5/10 – Martinelli has enjoyed some fine moments, not least scoring against Liverpool and that late winner against Man City in October. However, he won’t be happy at all with his return of six goals and four assists. We all just rightly expect way more of Martinelli nowadays and no doubt he’ll be out to prove a point next season.
Leandro Trossard – 7.5/10 – While Martinelli has suffered a blip, Leandro Trossard has improved drastically from a debut Arsenal campaign that yielded just a single goal. This time, the Belgian has notched 12 in the Premier League and 17 overall, often taking Martinelli’s place in the starting XI and coming up with key moments throughout the season.
Reiss Nelson – 3/10 – Nelson just hasn’t been able to recreate the remarkable super sub moments he provided last season and ends this campaign without a single Premier League goal involvement, while only one of his 15 appearances have come from the start. Time for a change?
Kai Havertz – 8/10 – Many ridiculed Arsenal for spending £65m to bring Havertz from Chelsea in the summer, but his form in the second half of the season has proven everybody wrong. The Germany international has led the line brilliantly, hitting nine goals and six assists since February 17th to bring his Premier League season total to 13 goals and seven assists. Arteta will have been left pondering if he still needs to find a natural goal scorer this summer.
Gabriel Jesus – 5/5/10 – Havertz’s form has come, in part, thanks to the opportunities he was afforded in the line-up due to the poor season endured by Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian has dipped from 11 Premier League goals last season to just four this time around, while he’s missed seven big chances and has a shot conversion rate of just 7.3%, compared to 18.8% from Havertz and 20% from Trossard. Nowhere near the standards we expect from Jesus.
Eddie Nketiah – 6/10 – Nketiah will always cherish his hat-trick against Sheffield United in October, but he didn’t score again in the Premier League after that, leaving him with just five goals in 27 appearances. Only 10 of those games were starts, with Nketiah joining Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe as academy products likely looking for a move in the summer.