The days are counting down until Arsenal get the American leg of their pre-season underway. It is Bournemouth on July 25 who Mikel Arteta’s side will face, and unless something happens quickly, there will be nothing of note to watch out for in terms of new faces.
Tommy Setford has travelled to the USA with the squad but as a young goalkeeper is not the sort of arrival to get fans too excited at this stage. Riccardo Calafiori may well be close but he is not over the line. It is surely too late for a non-competitive debut for him unless the deal moves at lightspeed.
And so it leaves Arteta and Edu Gaspar with plenty to ponder in the last six weeks of the window. There are just over three until the Premier League kicks off, and really Arsenal are yet to join the party.
Whilst there is no panic at the Emirates Stadium there is a need for some haste if plans are to be put into action.
Arsenal will send scouts to watch Viktor Gyokeres this weekend as they continue to ponder a move for the Sporting CP striker. It is claimed in Portuguese media outlets that the Gunners are keen to get another look at the Sweden international after recent knee injuries.
Gyokeres and Sporting face Athletic Bilbao on Saturday and Arsenal are said to be on the lookout for how well their target has recovered, with doubts over just how effective he can be after fitness troubles. It is also claimed that should the outcome be favourable for Gyokeres, a bid may soon follow.
It has been noted that Sporting have dropped their price demand for Gyokeres this summer from £84million down to around £60million instead. Arsenal will use this as extra reason to be cautious and also have plans to monitor Gyokeres during their other friendlies.
