Arsenal have a hectic summer of transfers and decisions to make with Mikel Arteta entering his fifth full campaign leading the Gunners. There is more pressure than ever to lift silverware and deliver on the investment of the past summers with more set to come.
Pep Guardiola could be entering his final season with Manchester City, while Liverpool and Chelsea are going through managerial transitions. There is opportunity for success for the Gunners but the decisions during the next three months will be pivotal in setting it up.
Here, football.london has taken a look at what the club needs to consider and achieve in the lead up to the 2024/25 season. We begin with the biggest job of all.
Mikel Arteta signs new deal
Arguably the most important business that Arsenal can do this summer is renew the contract of their manager Arteta. The Spaniard has been the key to the Gunners’ progression and establishment as Manchester City’s main rivals for the Premier League title.
With just one season remaining, the club cannot afford to let him run down the deal any further and potential transfers will want assurances that the coach they are signing for will be with them for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, all the indications are that Arteta is far from done, the club are extremely happy with him and he wants to finish the project and win title with the club.
Benjamin Sesko signs
One of the priorities in the window this summer is a new striker and football.london understands that the key player the club is pushing for is Benjamin Sesko. The £55.6million RB Leipzig player will offer Arsenal improved depth in the position and greater competition for Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
Despite interest in Isak, the financial weight of the deal means that Sesko would allow for further investment in other positions whilst also guaranteeing both immediate quality and potential. Comparably, Sesko ranks higher than his Newcastle counterpart in several areas including goalscoring proficiency.
Major outgoings
There is a lot of work to do in the outgoings department too with many players now surplus to requirements. More than ten members of the squad have elements of uncertainty about their futures and Edu is under pressure to secure good money for the players.
Some need to be moved on like Eddie Nketiah whose level has been eclipsed the higher the Gunners have risen up the table. Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira seem also to lack a clear place in Arteta’s plans and the three returning loanees, Kieran Tierney, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares, all need to be moved on too.
The midfield completion
Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard are two perfect parts of Mikel Arteta’s midfield and Thomas Partey may or may not be staying with the club for the final year of his deal. What is certain however is that the third and final piece is yet to arrive and beyond the needs at striker, winger and in defence, the middle third should certainly be taking the majority of the focus and investment.
The difficulty is finding the player. Bruno Guimaraes has been mentioned but remains a very expensive option. Joshua Kimmich could leave Bayern Munich this summer and would be an excellent experienced pick for the midfield with scope to invest again when the perfect profile emerges in future windows.
Ethan Nwaneri’s future is also worth consideration and finding a pathway into the senior side is something which the club needs to get right after years of false dawns since the breakthrough of Bukayo Saka. The teenager has all the makings of someone who could follow the England international and the club needs to offer the minutes for that to happen.
