Arsenal are set to change the way they conduct their recruitment and player retention following talks in the boardroom.
The Gunners have all but surrendered a first Premier League title for 19 years with a loss to Brighton & Hove Albion that sees a third championship in three won by Manchester City – but it's not all doom and gloom. Arsenal have qualified for the Champions League for the first season since 2016/17, which should transform the club's fortunes in a few ways.
The north Londoners have operated stringently in recent seasons, refusing to overpay what they deem to be the true value of players such as Mykhaylo Mudryk and Moises Caicedo, opting instead for the likes of Jorginho and Leandro Trossard. This has served them well – but it may be about to change slightly, with an influx of investment.
According to The Evening Standard, Arteta has met with Josh Kroenke of Arsenal's ownership group KSE over transfer plans this summer. The report states that the club will "loosen" the wage structure of the side, giving Arteta and sporting director Edu Gaspar more of a chance to recruit from the top table.
Declan Rice is being lined up, with the Gunners thought to be soon tabling a club-record bid for the England international. Rice may well be offered around £300,000 a week, too, as Arteta looks to bring the best to the Emirates Stadium.
This level of salary is also well in line with the imminent contract extension of Bukayo Saka, who will likely match Rice's wages when he signs.
There are also thought to be new deals on the horizon for William Saliba and Aaron Ramsdale, according to football.london, while the likes of Caicedo, Mason Mount and Marc Guehi have also been touted. The talks between Arteta and Arsenal's ownership came in the wake of the Brighton defeat, which the Arsenal manager reflected on as being a low point in the season for his side.
“I hate the feeling of letting people down when they are really expecting something, and that’s the biggest regret I have today,” said Arteta.
“We have to live with the emotion that we have right now, that we fell short, and it wasn’t good enough.”
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Arsenal are already being linked with a host of big names ahead of a season back in the Champions League.
Mason Mount is an option in midfield, with Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic and Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby rumoured in the attack. Both Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins and Crystal Palace star Wilf Zaha are on the radar, too. Younger stars are interesting the Gunners, too: Vitor Roque might end up at the Emirates, while Flamengo's Matheus Franca is being watched.
Meanwhile, cult hero Mathieu Flamini has refused to rule out a move to buy Arsenal.
