Arsenal ratings: Every Gunners player's performance in the 2022-23 season - ranked

It’s been a hugely frustrating season for Smith Rowe. Injured right at the start of it, he spent months on the sidelines trying to get fit after a groin operation. He returned in January with fans hoping he could have a major impact over the second half of the campaign, but Arteta has barely used him at all, consistently leaving him on the bench and favouring others over the young academy product.

Smith Rowe ends the season without having made a single start and with major question marks hanging over his future. It feels harsh to even give him a rating, given his lack of starts.

It’s been a difficult campaign for Elneny. The experienced midfielder only made eight appearances in all competitions before suffering a nasty knee injury in training in January, and he underwent an operation which forced him to miss the remainder of the season.

Elneny has been handed a new one-year contract, however, and that shows how much he is still valued by the club.

The United States international only made two appearances since the World Cup, and neither of them were in the league. He looked nervous on both occasions, particularly in the away game at Sporting CP, where he really struggled with the ball at his feet and was at fault for the hosts' opening goal.

Turner was left out for the second leg, with Arteta instead starting Aaron Ramsdale, which must have been a major blow to the American. He didn't play a single minute after that.

When William Saliba picked up his injury at the end of the season, it was Holding who Arteta turned to to fill the void. But the English defender just couldn’t reach the level that was needed and Arsenal looked far weaker as a result. It’s tough to blame Holding. He did everything he could, but it wasn’t enough and teams started to target him.

A hugely popular member of the squad, Holding has proven to be a fine signing over the years, but this summer feels like the right time for him to move on.

Vieira has had a poor second half of the season. There were plenty of positive signs from the young Portuguese playmaker during his first few months with the club, but his performances dipped massively as the campaign wore on.

His confidence levels clearly dropped and he seemed to ghost through games at times, making no impact at all. You can’t write a young player off after just one season at a club, but Vieira has to do far more in 2023-24 to prove he is capable of making the grade at Arsenal.

The Poland international had to bide his time after signing in January, with his first Premier League start not coming until the victory over Chelsea in May.

It’s tough to really judge Kiwior as he’s barely played in his natural position in the few appearances he has made. There have been encouraging signs, but there have also been errors. A proper judgement will have to wait until next season.

Another player who was unfortunately sidelined by injury. Tomiyasu played his part in Arsenal’s fine season, but missed the last few months after injuring his knee in the Europa League defeat by Sporting CP. Prior to that, the Japan international stepped up whenever he was called upon by Arteta, whether that be from the bench or from the start.

He looked rusty at times, which was no surprise given his lack of regular game time, but he remained a dependable performer.

It’s not been a season Tierney will look back on fondly. Having lost his place to Oleksandr Zinchenko, the Scotland international had to bide his time to get some minutes with the first team.

When those minutes did arrive, he never let anyone down. But it’s clear he does not fit Arteta's system and that a move away will probably suit all parties this summer.

Nketiah deserved huge credit for the way he filled in for the injured Gabriel Jesus. The young striker came into the team in December and helped Arsenal continue to set the pace at the top of the Premier League. He scored some big goals, including the last-minute winner against Manchester United, and showed his all-round game had improved immensely.

Unfortunately, his form faded during the final months due to a lack of game time and injury, but it was still a positive season for the young forward.

The Italy international did everything Arsenal would have wanted from him when they signed him from Chelsea in January. He didn’t feature too much until he was given his late run in the side due to Thomas Partey’s dip in form, but he was never supposed to.

The whole reason for signing him was to bring in some much needed cover for Partey, and Jorginho provided that, stepping in whenever needed. When Partey dropped out through injury, Jorginho came in and produced that huge moment late on to seal the win at Aston Villa.

The player who produced Arsenal's moment of the season. Few will ever forget Nelson’s injury-time winner against Bournemouth and the scenes that followed it. Ultimately, it didn’t prove to be a title-defining goal, but it was still an incredibly special moment for everyone who was at the Emirates to experience it.

Nelson has shown real quality at times when called upon and has made a big impact when he’s been given an opportunity. It’s been a good season for the homegrown winger.

After such a superb start to life at Arsenal, the injury that Jesus suffered at the World Cup with Brazil was a hammer blow. When he returned, you felt he could go on and make a massive impact during the final months of the title race. But despite scoring a few goals, he couldn’t quite hit the levels he set during those early months of the campaign.

Hopefully a full pre-season will get him back to the form he showed before the injury just in time for the start of the new campaign.

Partey’s dramatic drop off in form at the end of the season was as surprising as it was costly. The Ghana international was exceptional until April, but suddenly lost his way at the worst possible time for Arsenal.

The fact Arteta brought Jorginho into the side and dropped Partey to the bench shows how bad things got. Leaving the midfielder out of the side when he was fit would have been inconceivable just a matter of weeks earlier.

But despite that dip in form, it must be remembered that Partey was excellent for the majority of the season and had been one of the stars of the season.

Trossard made a really impressive impact after signing from Brighton in January. He picked up eight league assists for Arsenal during the second half of the season and scored once, despite starting most games on the bench.

There is certainly an argument that Arteta didn’t use the Beligum international enough.

White’s form may have dipped slightly towards the end of the season, but he has still had a very impressive campaign. Despite playing at right-back, White was the model of consistency as he barely put a foot wrong. His understanding with Saka down that side of the pitch brought so much success and was the difference in numerous games.

White may not get as many headlines as some of his team-mates, but that makes him no less important to Arteta.

Another player whose performances dropped during the closing couple of months, but that shouldn’t take away from what an excellent signing Zinchenko has been. His arrival from Manchester City transformed Arsenal from a tactical point of view.

The Ukrainian brought so much to the team, not just on the pitch but off it as well, where he became a real leader. His performances in some of the big games, such as away at Spurs and home to Manchester United, were right out of the top drawer.

Saliba enjoyed a dream debut season in the Premier League before injury brought it to a premature end. He started the campaign with some questioning whether he would be able to cut it in England, but he answered those questions and more with the level of performance he produced.

Prior to the back injury which ended his season in March, Saliba had started every league game and formed a formidable partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes at the heart of the Arsenal defence.

He did have a slight dip in form after the World Cup, but he quickly recovered from that and has shown he has everything needed to be a huge success in England.

Ramsdale’s season got better and better as it went on. Aside from a few errors, Arsenal’s No.1 was exceptional and made some remarkable saves, most notably in the draw at Liverpool and the win at Newcastle.

Ramsdale has just signed a new contract and he deserved to be rewarded for his performances. His ability with the ball at his feet is so vital to how Arsenal play and whenever he is not in the team, you can really notice the difference.

One half of Arsenal’s magnificent centre-back pairing. Gabriel had a couple of nervy moments earlier in the season, but other than that he was excellent,  especially after the World Cup break when he took his game to a new level.

He started every single Premier League game and formed a formidable partnership with Saliba. It’s no surprise that the Brazilian looked slightly off his best once the Frenchman picked up his injury.

Gabriel has also played a huge role at the other end of the pitch, scoring crucial goals, including the winners against Fulham and Chelsea.

What a season it’s been for Xhaka. If it is his Arsenal swansong, then it’s been a great way to bow out.

Xhaka’s redemption has been one of the stories of the season. He’s been a vital part of Arteta’s team and hit levels that few would have expected at the start of the campaign. Nine goals, seven assists. Excellent.

It’s such a shame that injury forced Martinelli to miss the final games of the season. Who knows what would have happened had the Brazilian not been forced off in the early stages of that Brighton game when the score was still at 0-0.

This has been a huge season for Martinelli, who has transformed from talented youngster to Premier League star over the course of the past 10 months. He’s scored 15 goals in 36 Premier League appearances, his best scoring tally by far, and set up another five.

Martinelli now looks ready to take the Champions League by storm.

Another stellar season from Saka. His output did tail off during the run-in, but that is perhaps no surprise given the sheer amount of games that 21-year-old has played.

Despite that, he has been exceptional once again. He’s hit double digits for both goals and assists in the Premier League and has dragged his team through at times. A fabulous talent who just keeps getting better and better.

Arsenal’s captain has led by example all season. He’s hit 15 league goals from midfield, something no Arsenal midfielder has done since Cesc Fabregas in 2009-10. Odegaard has also produced seven assists. 

But it’s not just his numbers that have been impressive, it’s the way he has driven Arsenal on and set the tone for performances with his incredible work rate. Like Saka, he’s a player who is only going to keep improving, which is perhaps the most exciting thing for Arsenal.