Mikel Arteta is planning a complete overhaul of his defence and this will likely see three Arsenal players leave and an Eredivisie star join, as per reports.
Arsenal enjoyed another great campaign in 2023-24, winning 28 out of 38 Premier League games and finishing on 89 points. However, it was not enough to end their wait for the league title as Manchester City pipped them to the crown, finishing two points ahead.
The Gunners also had aspirations of reaching the Champions League final for the first time since 2006, only to be knocked out in the quarter-finals by Bayern Munich.
While Arteta will have been delighted with his team’s performances during the season, he will be gutted that they did not end the campaign with any major silverware.
Arteta, alongside Arsenal sporting director Edu, is planning another big summer to improve the first-team squad even further and get closer to the likes of Real Madrid, City and Bayern.
According to reports in Spain, Arteta hopes to revamp the left-back position, starting with the departure of Kieran Tierney.
The Scot, who joined Arsenal for £25million in August 2019, spent the recent season on loan at Real Sociedad and is clearly low in Arteta’s pecking order.
In May, Tierney admitted it is very likely he will depart the Emirates. Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Aston Villa are keen on signing him.
Arsenal transfers: Zinchenko, Tierney to be sold
Fellow left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko could swiftly follow Tierney out of the exit door. The 27-year-old enjoyed a great debut season at Arsenal after joining them from City in a £30m deal two years ago, but his form declined during the recently completed campaign.
Zinchenko has been tipped to join Bayern Munich if he is officially put up for sale by Arsenal, but it emerged earlier this month that the German heavyweights would rather engineer a contract extension with Real Madrid-linked Alphonso Davies.
The third and final left-sided defender who looks set to be on the move is Jakub Kiwior. He only joined Arsenal in January 2023, costing the club £20m, but Arteta feels this summer is the right time to cash in as AC Milan are lurking.
Arsenal fans may be worried that the departures of Tierney, Zinchenko and Kiwior will leave the side light in the left-back position. But Takehiro Tomiyasu is capable of playing there, while Arteta can now rely on the versatile Jurrien Timber following his return from injury.
Arsenal have also set their sights on Ajax starlet Jorrel Hato, who can operate in a number of positions like Tomiyasu and Timber. The centre-half can also shine as a left-back and is emerging as one of the best young defenders in the Netherlands.
