Arsenal could bring in as many as seven new players in the summer transfer window after Mikel Arteta made his intentions for recruitment clear.
The Gunners shelled out over £150million in the summer transfer window to reinforce Arteta’s squad through the signings of Takehiro Tomiyasu, Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Martin Odegaard. But it seems they will be busy once more, with plenty of movement expected in and out of the club again.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure in January could be followed by those of Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah, who are both out of contract in July, meaning signing at least two strikers is a priority, while a midfielder, a winger, a left-sided centre-back, a right-back and a left-back are also on the cards . Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes his old club need to back Arteta this summer to close the gap to the Premier League ’s top clubs.
“Since Mikel Arteta arrived at Arsenal, he’s been steady. He still has a lot to do, but he has done a lot of good things already. He has found his first XI and now the players appear to be a happy group.” he told bookmakers.co.uk .
“They seem to understand the way Arteta is asking them to play, but after the Crystal Palace game I believe he said he wants seven new signings for next season, and I completely agree with him. Arsenal are doing everything they are capable of at the moment. With this team Arteta has some quality, but not enough to compete with Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. But he cannot perform miracles either.”
Petit was referring to Arteta’s comments from before the 2-1 defeat by Brighton last weekend. “The Champions League and the Europa League both require a much larger squad because the amount of games is much bigger,” he said. “If we can afford it financially and we don’t have to do the turnaround in the squad that we’ve had to, what I want is 22 outfield players and three goalkeepers. A lot of things have to be put in place and that takes time, so I am expecting a busy summer.”
HAVE YOUR SAY! What should Arsenal's priorities be in the summer window? Comment below.
As well as pursuing strikers – they have previously been linked with Alexander Isak, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jonathan David and Darwin Nunez. The Gunners also want to strengthen their defence and in goal. Bernd Leno could push for a summer transfer after losing his place to Ramsdale, while William Saliba could be like a new signing if he returns from his loan spell at Marseille.
Kieran Tierney’s injury has exposed Arsenal’s lack of depth at left-back, with Tavares’ struggles prompting Arteta to play Granit Xhaka in the position. Douglas Luiz, Ruben Neves and Youri Tielemans have all been considered for central midfield, while Middlesbrough right-back Djed Spence is on the radar.
Winger Nicolas Pepe has been linked with a move away from Arsenal. Dinos Mavropanos’ loan to Stuttgart, Matteo Guendouzi’s loan to Marseille and Lucas Torreira’s loan to Fiorentina could all be made permanent. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who is currently on loan with Roma, and Pablo Mari, who is with Udinese, could both be sold to provide extra funds.
