Arsenal are willing to sell some players for the right price, but the primary aims are signing a striker and adding strength in depth
Arsenal will back Mikel Arteta in the transfer market again this summer as the club attempt to assemble a squad capable of toppling Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
The Gunners came within two points of City this season, pushing Pep Guardiola’s side right until the final day.
Tim Lewis, the Arsenal executive vice-chair who has been a key figure in the club’s revival, embraced Arteta on the pitch at the Emirates Stadium after their final game on Sunday and said “we came this close” to doing it. And after a short break plans will be drawn up to close that tiny gap.
He might not say it in as many words, but beating Guardiola and City has been at the top of Arteta’s agenda since the day he walked away from his mentor, took a trip down the M6 and became Arsenal manager.
Arteta spent Sunday night having dinner with his family and then at a team event with his colleagues, one that was supposed to be a celebration of a first Arsenal title in 20 years.
It was not to be, and the Spanish manager insists he will take some time off before starting to think about next season, but the clarity of his words in the immediate aftermath of the title race suggests he already has plenty of ideas about where, why and how Arsenal will approach next season differently.
Here’s where they could look to strengthen and improve this summer:
David Raya, who won the Golden Glove for keeping most clean sheets, has been on loan this season from Brentford and a permanent deal is expected to be confirmed.
The club are likely to allow Aaron Ramsdale, who was the club’s first choice goalkeeper in the 2022-23 season but has since fallen behind, to leave so he can play.
Newcastle United are reported to have offered £15m, but Arsenal will want more for a player who is still only 26 years old and has two years remaining on his contract.
Nail down key players and trim squad
Arsenal do not need to sell in order to do business to comply with financial regulations, but will move players on if the value is right and it can generate funds to give them more spending power in other areas.
Three of Arsenal’s four key targets last summer – £105m Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Raya – improved the team significantly. The fourth was Jurrien Timber, a £34m signing from Ajax, who missed most of the campaign injured and will be considered like a new signing next season. Arteta believes the defender can transform the way they play.
Last summer, Arsenal raised more than £80m by selling players, including Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen for £21.4m and Folarin Balogun to Monaco for £38m.
Add strength in depth
Any comings and goings this summer will be carefully planned and considered. They already have a strong core of players, including Bukayo Saka, Ben White and Gabriel Martinelli, signed to deals for at least another least three years, with the experience of two seasons chasing the title.
Much of this summer’s transfer window will depend on the state of the market. Financial restrictions are making signing and moving on players more difficult and points deductions for Everton and Nottingham Forest this season have made clubs wary of breaching them, even by small amounts.
“Everybody available in the crucial moment… Huge difference,” Arteta offered as one of his first answers to the question of what more they could do.
