It has been a relatively quiet start to the summer transfer window for Arsenal but that could soon change following the conclusion of Euro 2024 and Copa America. David Raya has been the only first team arrival so far, with the 28-year-old making his loan move from Brentford permanent in a deal worth around £27million.
Edu and Mikel Arteta have been working hard behind the scenes and a number of players have already departed the club. Cedric Soares and Mohamed Elneny left following the expiry of their contracts while Albert Sambi Lokonga’s loan move to Sevilla was confirmed on Monday. Defender Nuno Tavares also departed north London on Monday, joining Italian side Lazio on a season-long loan.
Arsenal supporters will be keen for the club to announce further incomings, however, which is something Arteta believes is necessary to take the Gunners to the next level. “We are looking to improve in every possible department,” Arteta told ESPN earlier this month.
“With the new regulations, there are certain things we have to respect and be conscious of and then obviously the Euros and Copa America are slowing everything down. Hopefully now it is going to pick up a little bit.” The Spaniard added: “I think both ways [players coming in and going out of the club]. There are things that we have to improve, that’s for sure and we are going to try to. But the market is tricky.
“We have been very aggressive, we are very determined and we have a clear idea obviously of what we want to do. It will come down to finding the right agreements at the right time.”
If things go to plan, it’s possible Arsenal announce two new signings this week. Riccardo Calafiori has been heavily linked with a move to Emirates Stadium and Bologna and the Gunners remain locked in talks regarding a move for the defender.
The two clubs are yet to agree on a fee for the highly-rated 22-year-old, who can play at either centre-back or left-back. It’s believed the Italian international is valued at around £45million, although the structure of the deal is what is causing a delay, with personal terms not expected to be a problem. Calafiori himself is currently away on holiday but is due to report back for pre-season at Bologna at the end of this week so you would think it’s best for all parties if a deal is struck sooner rather than later.
Another signing Arsenal could announce this week is that of Ajax goalkeeper Tommy Setford. The Gunners have agreed a fee of around €1million (£840,000) for the England Under-20 international, who is expected to undergo a medical in the coming days.
Setford was into the last year of his contract at Ajax and is expected to sign a four-year deal with the Gunners, The Athletic reports. The goalkeeper is highly regarded and has been tipped to have a bright future. Young goalkeepers Ovie Ejeheri, James Hillson, and Arthur Okonkwo were all released by the club this summer while 18-year-old Lucas Nygaard joined the north Londoners from FC Nordsjaelland.
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Arsenal’s first team stars are expected to report for pre-season training this week, football.london understands, before flying to the USA on July 21. The players who were not involved at all at the Copa America or European Championships reported for warm weather training in Marbella at the end of June and Arteta hopes the coming weeks will lay the foundations for another successful season.
“The players who arrive first are going to set the tone for the ones that are coming back later because we have four different groups coming at different stages in pre-season and they really have to feel that,” Arteta told Arsenal’s official website. “There’s not a lot I can tell them. They know. They know that they are really good and they were good enough to win it, but there are certain margins and certain things that sometimes are not tangible that are necessary to win.
“For me, the best thing is when they come here on the first day and when they look at us, when they see the attitude and when they see the preparation, when they hear the words that we are using to start the preparation for this season, then they go ‘wow, this is going up a level again, so what we did last season is not going to be enough. If I want to play and I want to be competing in this team, I’m going to have to do something extra’.
