It's getting to the business end of the season and Mikel Arteta will have his sights fully set on helping Arsenal to secure Champions League football. While the Spaniard may be busy with that for the time being that doesn't stop fans looking to the future to see what transfers the Gunners might be making this summer.
Edu has already completed a deal to bring Matt Turner in from New England Revolution, while Auston Trusty was signed from fellow KSE-owned club Colorado Rapids in January, but more is expected this summer. With Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah out of contract, it's expected that as many as two strikers could be brought in.
Meanwhile, the uncertainty over Mohamed Elneny's future means that we could be looking at some midfielders coming into the Emirates too. There has also been talk of the potential of signing a right back to support Takehiro Tomiyasu, but Arsenal's transfer team may have their hands full already.
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Speaking ahead of Saturday's win over Manchester United, Arteta revealed that he does want additions this summer, with plenty of activity expected. "The Champions League and the Europa League both require a much larger squad because the amount of games is much bigger," the Spaniard said.
"If we can afford it financially and we don’t have to do the turnaround in the squad that we’ve had to, what I want is 22 outfield players and three goalkeepers. A lot of things have to be put in place and that takes time, so I am expecting a busy summer.”
With that in mind, it felt like the perfect time for football.london's Arsenal writers Kaya Kaynak and Tashan Deniran-Alleyne to do a Q and A. Here are some of the things that were discussed.
What assurances can you provide on whether Gabriel Jesus will sign for Arsenal?
Kaya Kaynak said: Our chief Arsenal correspondent Chris Wheatley has reported on that this week. Here's an extract from his article:
CW: football.london understands that Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus and Roma frontman Tammy Abraham are among the shortlisted profiles who could arrive at Emirates Stadium this summer. Jesus in particular remains open to leaving the current Premier League champions, with his representative holding talks with Edu throughout the past few months.
Arsenal first made inquiries for Jesus in November with Edu maintaining a close relationship with the player's agent and the City forward himself. Jesus is expected to get more minutes between now and the end of the season as City look to increase his potential transfer fee, with the Gunners expected to lodge a bid in the region of £35million this summer.
With Gabriel Jesus potentially coming in, will Arsenal focus on signing a central midfielder like Ruben Neves or Youri Tielemans, or will they prioritise a striker of a different profile like Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Kaya Kaynak said: A lot of that depends on who ends up leaving and where Arsenal finish. If they get European football - which looks pretty likely at the minute - then they're obviously going to need a bigger squad to cope with the increased amount of games and will look to do business accordingly. Arteta has already publicly stated a desire to keep Eddie Nketiah so if he stays I'd expect there to be just the one striker incoming. If he doesn't then we could be looking at a different picture.
We're expecting at least one CM to come in, but again it depends on the future of Mohamed Elneny. If he ends up staying then Arsenal may only be in the market for one, but again, like with the CF position, if he ends up leaving then Edu may look at bringing in another body to fulfill Arteta's '22 outfield players and three goalkeepers' request.
With the quality of Liverpool and Manchester City's squads, don't you think Arsenal need more than two signings to bridge the gap?
Kaya Kaynak said: I wonder if it may have been something that got a bit lost in translation when Edu did his interview in Portuguese. It came across to me that they were considering 1 or 2 players in January but ultimately decided against that in favour of pursuing some more this summer. Could be wrong though.
I'd agree generally, however, that I think Arsenal are quite a way off Liverpool and city and it will probably take more than 2 players to bridge that gap. A goalkeeper is definitely coming in and there may be some more additions after that. I agree re the new midfielder and two forwards although I feel Arsenal are mostly OK with the right-back options at the minute!
What is the likelihood of re-signing Serge Gnabry, and do you see any future for Ainsley Maitland-Niles or Reiss Nelson?
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne said: Serge Gnabry doesn't appear to be a priority for Arsenal at the moment, but of course, things can change. If he is available at the right price, we should be all over it as him being classed as a homegrown player will be a boost especially if we are in Europe next season. As for Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, both will have a year remaining on their deals this summer and I don't see a future for either at the Emirates.
