Arsenal are in the midst of a busy summer transfer window as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his squad ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
The north Londoners have already completed three signings, bringing in American goalkeeper Matt Turner, Brazilian winger Marquinhos and Portuguese playmaker Fabio Vieira whilst frontman Gabriel Jesus is set to join from Manchester City in the coming days. Still, technical director Edu is far from finished in the transfer market, with the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Youri Tielemans and Raphinha all mooted as potential targets for the Gunners.
Now, football.london's Arsenal writer Kaya Kaynak has given his thoughts on some of the big talking points at the Emirates Stadium right now during a Q&A with fans on Thursday.
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Is there any indication who will take over for Kevin Betsy?
Kaya Kaynak said: "There has been an indication that Arsenal would like to take their time when it comes to making the decision of who will be their new under-23 coach. Per Mertesacker understands how important a job it is and wants to get the decision right. It's also worth noting that an under-18s coach needs to be sorted to. Jack Wilshere has indicated that he would be open to pursuing a coaching career with the academy full time so he is definitely a possibility. There's also a chance of an internal appointment. Mehmet Ali was appointed Betsy's assistant and is still at the club so could be a contender too."
Has there been any indication that Jesus has been promised a central 9 role? Or has he come to start?
Kaya Kaynak said: "In a most literal sense, yes Gabriel Jesus will be a number nine as that's the shirt number Arsenal are going to give him. Mikel Arteta is a fan of versatility among his strike force though and has shown this in the past. Even a player like Eddie Nketiah, who is about as archetypal of a centre forward as it's possible to get, has played on the left at times. Jesus has played on the wings for City, so that is another plus to his signing. However, when it comes to Jesus it's worth noting how important this winter's World Cup could be in his thinking. When it comes to the wing positions, Brazil are relatively stacked with players like Vinicius Jr., Raphinha, Rodrygo, and of course Gabriel Martinelli. There is less competition in the centre forward position (even if there are still some admittedly excellent players at Tite's disposal there). If Jesus can prove himself as a number nine his chances of playing there in Qatar could go through the roof. That could represent a real redemption arc for him after his traumatic experience in Russia 2018, where he was crucified by the Brazilian press for failing to score a goal as the starting national team striker in a World Cup."
Given that the Raphinha deal is very much up in the air as things stand. What are some of the alternatives, Arsenal could explore? - Could we see interest reignited for Gakpo from PSV, or perhaps Bowen?
Kaya Kaynak said: "I think a lot of that depends on what happens in pre-season, and what happens with Nicolas Pepe. The Ivorian still needs to have his future sorted out, and with his wages and the lack of money on the continent I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up leaving on loan, but let's wait and see on that one. As for pre-season, keep an eye on Marquinhos. He's been described as one for the future, but the same was said about Gabriel Martinelli when he came into the club. If he impresses then there's no reason why he couldn't be involved next season too."
Can we expect clarity on the Martinez and Raphinha deals by Sunday? (NOT completed deal)
Kaya Kaynak said: "It's really hard to say in terms of timescales when it comes to the transfer window so I won't put a date on it specifically for those ones. What I would say though, is that Arsenal are very keen to get business done before they head out to their pre-season tour of America. That is on July 13th. Most of the players who were on international duty will return on July 11th too so I would expect us to have a much clearer idea of how the squad will look by then which is across the next two weeks."
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