Matthew Wade

As someone who writes a weekly column about club football, the early summer months are often a talking point dead zone.

So another season has been and gone, with all the excitement, disappointment and Tottenham schadenfreude that comes with being an Arsenal fan in the Emirates era.

With the Arsenal youth set up full of exciting attacking talent, a player whose future may lay in a deeper role is one whose season has been very stop-start.

As the dust settles following an ultimately disappointing campaign, compounded by a mediocre Manchester United equaling our FA Cup record, once again, it is look-to-the-future time.

A fortnight ago I wrote that second place was still within Arsenal’s reach despite the points gap, and with one point from a possible nine, Tottenham made my optimism a reality.

Arsenal u21s secured promotion via the play-offs on Tuesday evening, beating Aston Villa 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium to return to the top flight of u21 football in England.

Tuesday night was important for the club in more ways than one: the headline grabber was West Ham signing off at Upton Park with a win over Manchester United that guaranteed Champions League football for Arsenal next year.

Although the big prizes have all gone for about half the teams in the Premier League, the last game of the season matters. Even for Arsenal, despite the feeling of slow drift over the last month.

As the season continues to drift towards its thoroughly anti-climactic conclusion, there are still a few things to play for.

Goals have been a problem all season for Arsenal, and the solution looks as far off as ever.

Another week of underachievement in a season where, since November, disillusionment has never been far away.

As Arsenal try to fight end of season drift and secure a top-three trophy (see what I did there?) ahead of a recovering Manchester City, it’s been a week of encouragement in some quarters and frustration in others.

When criticising Arsenal for not taking enough risks, there is plenty to choose from.

After a thoroughly miserable few weeks, where another season has collapsed at speed, the last few days have brought a few rays of sunlight peeking…

Despite the player insisting that he hasn’t opened talks with anyone, speculation continues to link Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a Bosman move to Arsenal in the…

Sunday’s FA Cup tie was not only hard to endure in isolation but was a painful microcosm of Arsenal in 2016, despite Arsene’s best attempts to…

On a weekend where the Arsenal tail attempted to wag the dog, like England’s bowlers after another batting collapse, the team’s combination of pride, endeavour…

Coquelin is unlike most Wenger youth products. The majority have had regular first team exposure throughout their late teens. By their mid-20s they have racked up…

Even the most basic tactical analyst knows that success in football is all about balance and partnerships. When Francis Coquelin picked up his injury, he…

After a hellish fortnight from an Arsenal perspective, the team put in a performance full of pride (but sadly not always professionalism) against the pretenders…