Arsenal may be champions for the first time in two decades, but the challenge is staying at the top.
And that requires serious investment this summer, with the Gunners’ biggest acquisition so far being Christos Tzolis on the left wing.
So with some huge deals shaping up in the coming weeks, what’s the best-case scenario for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the transfer market?
Arsenal’s dream transfer window
1. Big-money Brazilians to join
The big one. Arsenal’s pursuit of Vinicius Jr may well be the most ambitious move in the club’s history, and snaring him could perhaps elevate the Gunners to Champions League favourites overnight.
And signing Bruno Guimaraes wouldn’t be bad, either. Arteta has lacked a genuine creative passer on the left-hand side of the pitch since losing Granit Xhaka, with these two signings genuinely game-changing. As they should be, for £200 million combined.
2. Julian Alvarez to join in attack
As much as Vinicius Jr would change Gooners’ worlds, imagine if they could snare Julian Alvarez, too. It’s more than possible, too, given Atletico Madrid’s interest in Viktor Gyokeres.
Alvarez might not be as clinical in the 18-yard box as the Swede, but his movement and dynamism would unlock players around him in a way that Gyokeres hasn’t been able to do – and perhaps taking cues from Manchester City, Arteta could favour a 4-4-2 in certain situations, dropping Odegaard for Alvarez alongside Havertz or Mikel Merino, in a big man/little man combo to carve open deep defences. If the Gunners can make this happen for a net fee of £75m, that’s a footballing gift horse, right?
3. Sell, sell, sell
Sure, Arsenal can spend around £300m on new attacking talents – but given that they already have excellent options in forward areas, something’s got to give… especially as they still have reinforcements to make.
Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson are both still on the books, while Gabriel Jesus is a shadow of the figure he was when he joined and probably needs a fresh start, for himself as much as for the Gunners’ wage structure. Noni Madueke, meanwhile, could be one that Arsenal consider the future of as Max Dowman develops.
And then there are the more uncomfortable conversations. Arteta has a potential world-beater in Ethan Nwaneri behind Martin Odegaard and Ebere Eze in the pecking order, and as much as the club would be loath to lose such a homegrown talent, it’s the price you pay when you bring in superstar attackers. The same goes for Gabriel Martinelli, who you get the feeling would flourish alongside countrymen Vini and Bruno. If Arteta could fetch £100m for the pair, however, it may be too good to turn down.
4. Defensive cover is as important as the attack
Arsenal’s title win was built on elite defensive foundations – yet with William Saliba, Ben White and Jurrien Timber all suffering injuries over the summer, it would be a gamble not to invest in top competition at the back.
Some solutions are internal: White might be better off as a Saliba back-up given the injury toll on his body, Christian Norgaard might be more trusted in defence, and Cristhian Mosquera can cover across the backline. Hopes are high for 16-year-old Marli Salmon, while you may not sign a better right-back than Declan Rice – who may be missed a whole lot less in midfield if Bruno Guimaraes is there to cover.
If Arsenal are sensible, however, stylistic backups for Timber and Saliba are must-buys in the next 12 months: Lutsharel Geertruida impressed at Sunderland and almost mirrors Timber in terms of playstyle, while Zeno Debast fits the bill as a similar centre-back to Saliba. It looks like a question of how much money is left at the end of the splurge, with the Guimaraes fee rising from how much the club originally wanted to pay and an Alvarez pursuit by no means a must if that record Vinicius Jr move comes off. The Gunners are spinning several plates, here…