By Admin 
When Mikel Arteta took charge of Arsenal in December 2019, the club was in a bleak period: after three successive seasons of finishing outside the top four, it was languishing in tenth place.
But having left his role as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City assistant to replace the sacked Unai Emery, Arteta — in his first managerial job — began turning things around. Arsenal won the 2019-20 FA Cup under the stewardship of its former captain. But it was Arteta’s success in changing the culture around the club while simultaneously rebuilding the squad that stood out.
The biggest step
The Spaniard transformed the Gunners into serial Premier League title contenders and a force to be reckoned with in Europe. Arsenal pushed City in 2022-23 and 2023-24, operating at a 100-point pace for large stretches in both seasons. In the summer of 2024, Arsenal confronted the biggest challenge every contending club faces: taking the final step.
The distance between finishing second and winning the championship is small on the league table. However, it requires an almighty, co-ordinated effort to bridge. Arsenal has had the Premier League’s tightest defence, but even though it scored 91 goals in 2023-24, it was clear that it did not have the ruthless cutting edge in attack possessed by elite European teams.
The only forward signing Arsenal made in the 2024 summer transfer window was a desperate, last-minute loan deal for Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling, who wasn’t the player he once was. Long-term injuries to Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus during the 2024-25 campaign compounded the club’s problems up front. There simply wasn’t enough firepower.
Arteta publicly called for reinforcements in the January window to sustain a challenge both at home and in Europe. But the club, which was without former sporting director Edu, who resigned in November, did not sign an attacker. A move for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins broke down, forcing Arteta to use midfielder Mikel Merino as a makeshift No. 9.
Translation questions: Viktor Gyokeres has been exceptional in Portugal. Arsenal, though, will need to judge whether he can find his scoring feet in England.
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Arsenal still managed to finish second in the Premier League, but Liverpool’s title charge was never really threatened. As Arteta’s men showed with statement wins over Real Madrid on their way to the Champions League semifinals and in a 5-1 demolition of City in the league, they aren’t far from the promised land. But they lack the resources to complete the journey.
Arteta admitted to feeling disappointed at the lack of transfer activity when it was needed. “We talked very openly about the intention to improve the squad if we had the capacity. With players with injuries, we’ve been impacted and we haven’t achieved it,” he said. “We are disappointed but … we couldn’t do it for certain reasons and we have to accept it.”
Plenty to do
This has left Arsenal with a lot to do this summer. In fact, without the emergence of academy boys Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, who offered immediate solutions, the Gunners would have been in an even more complicated situation. In addition to signing top-end attacking talent, the club has several holes to fill in a squad that was desperately thin last season.
Signing experienced goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for just £5 million, to back up Golden Glove winner David Raya, is smart business. But the task of replacing veteran central-midfielders Thomas Partey and Jorginho and finding cover for the overworked centre-back pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes is considerable.
Spain’s Martin Zubimendi, a No. 6 coveted by Europe’s top clubs, and Brentford captain Christian Norgaard are set to join the midfield next season while several young defenders, including Valencia’s Cristhian Mosquera, are on Arsenal’s radar. But new sporting director Andrea Berta’s first transfer window in North London will be defined by the attacking signings.
The Athletic reported this week that Arsenal was in the market for a No. 9, a left-winger and a versatile attacker. This would require a significant financial outlay, especially for a club not known for spending as much as many of its rivals. It appears, however, that Arsenal’s ownership is aware that the risk of not investing this summer — given how competitive the league already is and how committed other big teams are to strengthening — is substantial.
“If you want to win major trophies, you have to be the best in the market,” Arteta said. “The teams that win have the best players, always, at this level. What is clear with the injuries we had in the front line is that we need threat, we need firepower. We cannot rely just on the numbers we had before. We have to add goals, we have to add creativity, we have to add numbers.”
The dream: Real Madrid’s Rodrygo reportedly tops Arsenal’s left-wing wish list. But any deal will prove expensive and could drag on until the end of the window.
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For the centre-forward position, Arsenal has been linked with Newcastle hitman Alexander Isak. The Magpies, however, have a strong hand in terms of the contract situation and are unlikely to listen to offers lower than £150 million. RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres are reportedly the names Berta has done the most work on, but neither deal will be inexpensive. Besides, there are caveats with both strikers.
The 6’5” Sesko has incredible physical gifts: a freakish vertical leap and a rapid top speed. At 22, he has a high ceiling and is a good stylistic fit at Arsenal, given his ability on the ball. But he isn’t the finished product yet. And Arsenal will be aware that ‘project’ centre-forwards have struggled to find their feet in England’s top flight.
The 27-year-old Gyokeres has scored a staggering 97 goals in 102 matches for Sporting, powering the club to back-to-back Primeira Liga titles. There are, however, questions about the quality of the Portuguese league and how well those numbers will translate to the Premier League. There are also doubts about whether Arsenal’s game-model platforms his strengths — Gyokeres’ best work comes when running into large spaces and there isn’t always space to run into with the Gunners because of how often they deal with lowblocks.
Market opportunities
Real Madrid’s Rodrygo is reportedly Arsenal’s top left-wing target. Played out of position on the right by Carlo Ancelotti, because of the presence of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo wasn’t always able to showcase his best. He also hasn’t had a starting role in new coach Xabi Alonso’s set-up at the Club World Cup, a situation that has attracted the attention of potential suitors, with Arsenal said to be leading the line. But a deal could prove complicated and potentially drag on until the end of the window.
Arsenal is also reportedly interested in Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze and Villa’s Morgan Rogers, versatile players who operate in advanced areas, suggesting that the club wants to add dribblers with the ability to produce special moments. Getting three offensive players in is likely to necessitate a sale, however, adding to Berta’s busy work-tray. But if Arsenal is to harbour ambitions of turning from contender to winner, this is a summer it can’t afford to get wrong.