Arsenal made a winning start to the 2024/25 Premier League season on Saturday afternoon thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka against Wolves.
It was a positive day all round for the Gunners with Mikel Arteta’s men the better team. There was no sign of Riccardo Calafiori for his debut after signing from Bologna but he was named on the bench.
Attention now turns to next week’s trip to Aston Villa but sporting director Edu Gaspar will be working relentlessly in signing at least one more player before the transfer window closes on August 30. Real Sociedad star Mikel Merino is the clear priority and a move is growing increasingly likely.
The midfielder was left out of the squad for Sociedad’s La Liga opener with Rayo Vallecano amid speculation. Talks are underway between the two clubs with reports in Spain suggesting a deal could be done for £25million to £30m.
In terms of outgoings, Aaron Ramsdale and Eddie Nketiah seem the most likely to depart before the deadline. Should deals be concluded for the duo, there does remain the possibility of a centre-forward completing the Gunners’ business.
