Arsenal may still need to make cuts to their squad, having embarked on a big-spending summer ahead of the new season.
The Gunners have forked out more than £100m to improve a squad which narrowly missed out on a top-four finish last season. Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have joined from Manchester City, with Fabio Vieira arriving after a title win with Porto and Matt Turner and Marquinhos also arriving.
There could also be more departures, though, with some of last season's loanees linked with permanent exits. Here are the latest news lines coming from north London.
Bellerin solution emerges
Hector Bellerin remains one of the Arsenal players with an uncertain future. The Spaniard was on loan at Real Betis last season but no agreement has been reached on a fee.
The right-back has been involved for the Gunners in pre-season but remains a high earner while no longer first choice in his position and Betis man Borja Iglesias has said his compatriot wants a longer-term return to the club. Bellerin has a year left on his current Arsenal deal, but technical director Edu has spoken of the need to occasionally offload players for nothing rather than letting them run down expensive deals.
"I know it hurts, I know it’s strange when I go to the board and say, 'Sometimes it's better to pay a player to leave than maintain them'", Edu told The Athletic. "But I consider it an investment. Sometimes people say, 'It's expensive'. I say, 'no, it's investment.'"
Lacazette denies bust-up claims
Former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette has denied he has fallen out with new manager Peter Bosz. The Frenchman only returned to Bosz's Lyon earlier in the summer after letting his deal in north London run down.
French publication Foot Mercato suggested Lacazette and the manager had fallen out amid the striker failing to follow instructions. However, the France international has denied the suggestions, responding to the news with three Pinocchio emojis.
The 31-year-old scored 100 Ligue 1 goals during his first Lyon spell, earning a move to Arsenal for what was then a club-record fee. He has returned on a free, as has compatriot Corentin Tolisso, as the Ligue 1 club look to improve on last season's eighth-place finish.
Cedric's 'big brother' role
Cedric Soares might not be the first name on the teamsheet for Arsenal, but the Portugal international has reportedly been a big influence off the pitch. The right-back joined from Southampton in 2020, initially on loan, and most of his minutes last season came as cover when Takehiro Tomiyasu was sidelined by injury.
The 30-year-old has reportedly helped some of the younger squad members off the field. Most notably, The Athletic suggests Cedric was a key figure in allowing new signing Vieira to settle in after his move from Porto.
"I expect always a fight for the position but the success of the collective is most important," the former Sporting CP man told ESPN earlier in the window. "Of course, we kind of challenge each other on the pitch during the week but at the weekend we are together helping each other, talking about the opponent we face."
