Mikel Arteta has a lot of work to do to improve Arsenal this summer
Mikel Arteta has work to do this summer (Image: GLYN KIRK, AFP via Getty Images)
Much of Arsenal’s success this season can be attributed to their active play in last summer’s transfer window. The club-record spending of more than £250m played a key role in Mikel Arteta’s side’s near-perfect first half of the season, topping both the Premier League and Champions League and qualifying for the Carabao Cup final.
But the North Londoners’ vulnerability has been evident since January, proving sporting director Andrea Berta still has a lot of work to do this summer. The Gunners continue to be plagued by injuries and it has become clear in recent weeks that some players are not good enough to take up the mantle, putting their chances of winning silver in jeopardy.
This suggests that no matter how this season ends, they will need to clean up their squad in the summer and add further reinforcements in order to grow from here. Mirror Football looks at three decisive actions Arsenal’s hierarchy must take early in the next transfer window, which opens in June, to ensure a dream summer.
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sell dead trees
Berta has already proven he can secure big-name signings, but Arsenal’s ability to find buyers for disadvantaged players was still lacking last summer. Compared to some of their rivals, the Gunners have been bad at selling players since the days of Edu Gaspard.
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Things will need to change this summer, as Arsenal will need to make sales to generate revenue, given last summer’s heavy investment and this year’s spending plans. According to a report from The Athletic, sales are key to having the financial wherewithal to secure a slot deal, meaning Berta should look to break some of the team’s deadwood early on.
Gabriel Jesus and Ben White are expected to move on, while either Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard should be sold after a disappointing season. If attractive offers are received for unpopular academy players Ethan Nwaneri and Miles Lewis-Skelly, Arsenal could make a move on the youngsters, given that their sales would be pure profit.
sine ederson
Ederson could be the answer to Arsenal’s midfield problems (Image: Getty Images)
It is well known that Arsenal need another central midfielder. The Gunners will continue to have to rely on Martin Zvimendi and Declan Rice more than is sustainable.
That’s despite signing Christian Norgaard last summer. Arteta has yet to give Norgaard a Premier League start this season, so it’s clear he doesn’t trust the former Brentford veteran enough to allow him to take meaningful minutes away from Rice and Zvimendi.
This suggests that Arsenal are already considering potential options that could break into next season’s starting XI. Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali has been linked with a move to N5 since January, but his £80m to £100m price tag means Atalanta’s Ederson is far more realistic.
Ederson, 26, is valued at around £43m by the Serie A side, but suitors including Arsenal and Manchester United believe they can sign the Brazilian for around £10m or less. The Athletic claim Ederson is unlikely to be renewed as he only has one year left on his contract, but he is expected to leave the Serie A club before the World Cup and Arsenal could complete the deal at an early stage if they decide he is talented enough.
The midfielder has played for Atalanta, including Cruzeiro, Corinthians and Salernitana, and since joining Atalanta in June 2022, he has scored 15 goals and provided five assists in 177 games, helping Atalanta win the Europa League two seasons ago and building a reputation as a regular in the top four.
bring in top winger
Arsenal need to sign a quality left winger this summer (Image: Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s problem for most of Arteta’s tenure was a lack of game-changing forwards. Last summer signings forwards Victor Gokeres and Noni Maduke have failed to shine for the Emirates this season, meaning the search for such players continues.
However, the biggest problem remains on the left side, with no one in the team able to claim it as their own, making it the team’s clear weakness. Arteta and Berta need to find a maverick, even world-class winger.
Few players are on the market, but Arsenal have expressed long-term interest in the likes of Nico Williams, Bradley Barcola and Anthony Gordon. As of now, there have been no reports of any concrete negotiations, but each of the three players will likely serve as effective reinforcements, significantly strengthening the front line.
Gordon is expected to leave Newcastle this summer for a fee of around £75m, but Barcola’s lack of regular starting appearances at PSG could prompt a move elsewhere. Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano recently suggested that Arsenal could sign a left-winger as well as a second attacker in the summer.
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