Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu will face a huge transfer crossroads this summer. The Gunners have spent big in recent windows, with over £200million forked out this past summer to sign Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber, with David Raya also arriving on loan with a £27million buy-option from Brentford.
After initially appearing hard to come by, goals have barely stopped for the Gunners since the turn of the year, which somewhat dispelled suggestions that a striker needed to be signed. Kai Havertz has also done a stellar job at the tip of the attack, but calls to sign an elite-level forward have remained, with Edu attempting to answer those back in February.
“To be fair, there’s a lot going on at the moment,” he told TNT Sports when asked about Arsenal’s summer transfer targets. “My role isn’t just looking after the first team, it’s looking after the women and the academy as well. There are a lot of things to do but of course, we’re learning [what we need] ahead of the summer.
“I understand why the fans are asking for [a No.9] but we already have our targets planned, we know what we’re going to face, and I’d be worried if we weren’t scoring goals or creating chances, but we are doing that right now. The plan is to try and get better every year, we’re at a good moment right now and so it’s about improving step-by-step.”
The future of Gabriel Jesus, signed in the summer of 2022 to answer their goal-scoring needs, has been a trending topic in recent weeks with it appearing Arsenal have moved past the Brazil international in their project. With that in mind, potential striker signings have been suggested to the Gunners, with Viktor Gyokeres, Ivan Toney and Alexander Isak among them.
One dark horse option is Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke, with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry a huge fan. “Dominic Solanke, the way he is playing at Bournemouth,” Henry revealed last December when asked what player is impressing him. “Not only him, the team is doing extremely well, but we have been waiting for him to be that player.
“I guess it was a bit too much when he was younger. But what he is doing right now is brilliant. I am happy for him because he did struggle for a little bit. Now he is looking good.”
This weekend, Solanke and Bournemouth head to Emirates Stadium for a Premier League clash against the Gunners, with Arteta likely to keep an eye on the performance of the Cherries forward.
