Arsenal had an outstanding year in 2023, as whilst they did not secure the Premier League title, they have strengthened their squad and are challenging for major honours again.
Arsenal are competing at the top end of the Premier League, and are comfortably in the Champions League knockout stages. Whilst results in the last week have not been favourable, 2023 still remains one of the strongest years in Mikel Arteta’s reign at the club.
There have been many standout performers over the course of the year, but some were more consistent than others, whilst summer signing Declan Rice has quickly become one of the best midfielders in European football since joining from West Ham.
Captain Martin Odegaard was excellent for most of the campaign, as he delivered in front of goal in some big games, but a dip in form for a chunk of this season means that he has been left out of this top three list of Arsenal’s best performers this year.
Declan Rice settled quickly
Although he has been at the Emirates for a small fraction of the year, Rice’s performances have been so good that he is an automatic inclusion in this list.
The 24-year-old has excelled at both the base of midfield, as well as further forward. He has become arguably the best ball-winner in Europe, and has also scored crucial goals against Chelsea, Manchester United and Luton.
He has helped Arsenal in their conquest for major trophies, and can be considered their third-best player of the calendar year in his limited time at the club.
William Saliba has gone up a level
Defender William Saliba was already outstanding in 2022, but he has since become even better, helping form one of the best defences in the Premier League.
His defensive partner Gabriel Magalhaes may consider himself unlucky to not be on this list as he has also been a rock at the back, but Saliba’s consistency, and his ability on the ball, have made him arguably Arsenal’s most important player.
Saliba did miss a few months of the year, which also saw Arsenal collapse in the title race, but he recovered from injury and is now better than ever before.
Bukayo Saka has been clutch in front of goal
Saka has yet again been Arsenal’s best player, and his output in front of goal in 2023 has been remarkable.
He started the year with a screamer against Manchester United, before continuing his excellent contributions in the title race.
He has since made his 200th appearance for the club, and stood out in the Champions League as one of the competition’s best players so far.
There is no doubt that Saka has been a star performer for Arsenal, with 34 goals and assists in the calendar year across all competitions, and he will hope to increase that further next season.
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