There is no need to worry at Arsenal, but their summer window has not yet gone to plan. It is early days, and there are still ten weeks until the summer market closes, yet things have not been ideal so far.
Despite the courting of Benjamin Sesko before the window had even been open, Arsenal’s striker plans are no clearer. The Slovenian forward was the top target and his £55million release clause deemed a good price. Considering the alternatives of £100million or more for Victor Osimhen and upwards of £85million for Viktor Gyokeres, both of whom are older than Sesko and have different profiles, it was a significant blow.
Sesko has now signed a new contract with RB Leipzig until 2029, though that is unlikely to keep him in Germany beyond next summer, when a new wave of talks will almost certainly start. Arsenal had, at points, seemed to be the leading team when it came to snapping him up.
Just one month away from pre-season, which will go by very quickly and is complicated by Euro 2024 and the Copa America, the landscape is now slightly murky. Joshua Zirkzee is still on the club’s radar but Manchester United and AC Milan are in the mix. He is in Germany at the Euros so any hope of a quick deal are by now long gone.
In midfield things are unclear as well. The future of Thomas Partey is no closer to being resolved whilst possible exits for Eddie Nketiah, Aaron Ramsdale, Emile Smith Rowe, and Reiss Nelson hang in limbo.
It is again with saying that it is one week into the summer window and the lack of significant progress is not a worry, but given how much there could be for Arsenal to do, it hasn’t been the start they may have wished for. Fishing for a new centre forward gets harder and often more expensive the longer the search goes on, and no obvious second choice to Sesko doesn’t help matters.
Then on the outgoings front there has been a blow for Kieran Tierney. He is one of many players – most of whom have already been listed above – expected to depart. However, Arsenal’s hopes of securing both a quick deal or a sizeable package for Tierney have been hit, and hit hard.
He was taken off on a stretcher for Scotland on Wednesday night following a hamstring injury during the vital group stage clash against Switzerland. Running back to defend a dangerous counter, Tierney’s leg straightened as he attempt to get in the way of a shot, with his hamstring extending and the pain all too clear.
It’s not the first time that an injury has caused Tierney problems, and his fitness issues are one of the reasons that Arsenal were open to letting him go on loan to Real Sociedad. After a solid season in Spain the 27-year-old looked to be one of the easier sales to complete this summer.
Even for a small transfer fee, say £10m, Tierney would give the club back some funds and ease up space on the international loan pile, as well as taking away some wages too. But his latest problem now promises to disrupt the plans.
Again, it is not terminal for Arsenal’s window, and of their business last summer Kai Havertz arrived during pre-season and Jurrien Timber even later. But the volume of work 12 months ago was much less and Arsenal always appeared to have a clear plan of attack.
This time round there is more uncertainty and so far less action. It is not to say that things won’t and can’t turn, but losing out on Sesko and now seeing Tierney suffer again has made for a problematic first week. They now face risking the pursuit of alternative signings on a potentially smaller budget. It is not unworkable, but it is not as planned, so far.
