Former rival tips Arsenal to ‘surprise a few’ this season | OneFootball

Danny Murphy has tipped Arsenal to be a surprise package this season without the distraction of European football.

The Gunners will play out their first year without European football in 25 years, and it could well be a blessing in disguise.

The owners appear to have heeded the warning and have sanctioned off a summer transfer budget, with Ben White expected to take our spending up to around £75 Million at this early point in the window, with more incomings expected to follow.

The rigours of European football and playing and travelling in midweek does take it’s toll on playing squads, and that also has to be taken into consideration.

Danny Murphy has certainly analysed the above, and despite his former allegiances to Tottenham and Liverpool, is tipping us to be a surprise package this term.

“I’ve got a feeling and I don’t know where it’s come from,” he told TalkSPORT listeners(via the DailyStar).

“I think with no European football and it looks like they’re having a go in the market, I think Arsenal might surprise a few.

“Although they’ve got a tough start, I think some of their young players – Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, for example, are tremendous.

“If [Thomas] Partey stays fit, we’ve seen glimpses of his ability.

“It could rest on [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang], he’s only had the one bad season.

“I think Arsenal might just surprise a few people but we’ve been wrong before about them.”

We all said it on the back-end to last season that a season without European football could be a blessing, with the intention of mounting a serious challenge for the top four, and with our club showing they are serious in the transfer window thus far, it wouldn’t be a mad shock if we was to push for the top four.

There is definitely no guarantees or expectation of such a push at present, but I would be shocked if we didn’t at least claim a European spot through our league position in the coming season.

Patrick