Nine days remain of a summer transfer window that has seemingly flown by and if Arsenal can complete it how they had planned to, it could be one of the best in a very long time.
The Gunners have spent around £30m less than the £150m they splashed out last year, but the bar has undoubtedly been raised through the signings of Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira. However, all indications point toward there being more activity before the window slams shut.
Mikel Arteta is thought to have his sights set on a new winger, with Nicolas Pepe closing in on a loan move to French side OGC Nice, football.london understands. Several reports suggest Pedro Neto is the priority target to replace the Ivorian, although it remains to be seen if Wolves' potential demands of £50m prove off-putting.
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While the addition of a new wide player is crucial, Arteta has also hinted that the club may not be done there. Speaking shortly after Zinchenko joined, the Arsenal boss was asked about further incomings and left the door wide open in his response. "You can see we are a little bit short in some positions for the way we want to play, but it is something we are trying to address," he said.
Arteta has continued to confirm that additional reinforcements remain a possibility. However, it's that particular quote which hints that there could be more than just one further signing in the coming days. Central midfield is a position well documented to be an area of interest to Arteta and technical director Edu, with the former being a fan of Leicester City's Youri Tielemans.
Talks between Arsenal and the Belgian's representatives are understood to have taken place over the last few months, but there has been no progress in concluding a deal so far. Tielemans has just under a year left on his current contract and is thought to be keen on a switch to the Emirates, any move cannot be ruled out this late in the window. However, it may also be a situation the club wishes to revisit in January.
Much of the focus at Arsenal in recent weeks has been on outgoings after the first-team squad became bloated. The likes of Bernd Leno, Pablo Mari, Nuno Tavares, Lucas Torreira and Folarin Balogun have all left in either permanent or loan deals, while the futures of Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles remain uncertain.
Although shifting players out the door is seen as an essential step for the club this summer, there will also be an acceptance that a healthy squad balance must be maintained after falling short towards the end of last season. The return to Europe along with the introduction of five substitutes makes strength in depth more important than ever before, so if Arsenal can add two more players between now and September 1st, it will round off a very successful summer.
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