Arsenal may have finished outside the top six on their last two attempts but there is a clear ambition to change the direction of the club and so far, this has proven effective with the Gunners currently in a race for the Champions League qualification spots.
Yet there remain question marks surrounding certain positions in Mikel Arteta’s squad and some of the positions are still in need of a serious revamp. Not only this but Arsenal have a problem with the depth of a number of roles that technical director Edu needs to work towards sorting.
The bulk of the business is likely to see investment in the striker and central midfield areas.
Arsenal will have lost three senior strikers in the space of six months with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang already gone and Alexandre Lacazette plus Eddie Nketiah soon to follow him through the exit doors if either fails to agree on a new contract.
Mikel Arteta will need serious funding to go for the striking department to secure him the progression in the Premier League and Europe that he expects to achieve.
Meanwhile, the central midfield is in need of a serious controller and progressor of the ball who does not have the same naive mistakes associated with them like Granit Xhaka so infamously does.
However, with the money focused on these areas, the depth positions of right-back, wide forward and goalkeeper will need to be spent more restrictively.
The goalkeeper is already sorted in this regard with the £4.5 million acquisition of MLS’ Matt Turner, and football.london understands the deal could rise to as much as £7.5 million but the steal represents good value for money.
At right-back though, Arsenal have been linked to Ajax's Noussair Mazraoui. The Moroccan international sees his deal expire in the summer and has Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona circling.
The Blaugrana have made a name for themselves pursuing free transfers with the aforementioned Aubameyang the latest in a list that includes Eric Garcia, Dani Alves, Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero.
Dortmund, however, continues to compete in the shadow of Bayern Munich and a 4-2 loss to Rangers in the Europa League has significantly dented their push for silverware.
Erling Haaland’s likely summer departure will only blunt their attacking might and with the likes of Jude Bellingham linked with a move away, the constant churn of talent would give Mazraoui little assurance of long-term competitiveness.
Arsenal meanwhile can offer Mazraoui a project at the club that is on the rise with a group of players in his youthful age bracket. Takehiro Tomiyasu’s contrasting profile to the 24-year-old means Arteta would have plenty of reason to play him.
Technical director Edu needs to use the Gunners’ newfound attractiveness to convince the likes of Mazraoui that Arsenal is the place to be for the coming years. The club needs to position itself to be able to offer more than Barca and Dortmund.
Yet it cannot be understated how important qualifying for the Champions League next season will be in their hunt for the players who will level up the squad.
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