The January transfer window came and went for Arsenal, with the Gunners not particularly active in the market.
After splashing £149million last summer on six players, including Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Aaron Ramsdale, it was not surprising to see Mikel Arteta make just one signing last month, namely American centre-back Auston Trusty who has been sent back to MLS side Colorado Rapids on loan until the summer.
There were, however, some notable outgoings with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joining Barcelona and Calum Chambers moving to Aston Villa, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles was loaned out to Roma.
All in all, Arsenal’s transfer business has been pretty good over the last 12 months, with the club finally looking like a contender for the top four again.
However, there is still much work to be done if the Gunners are to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool, so more signings will be required in the summer to continue Arteta’s project.
But after spending so much already, Edu and co. will need to look at cheaper alternatives, so football.london has taken a look at three players whose contracts are set to expire in the summer who would save the club £110.7million if they signed.
Paulo Dybala
With Aubameyang gone, Arsenal’s striker situation is looking perilous with both Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah’s contracts up at the end of the season.
It has been all but confirmed that Nketiah will depart the Emirates while Lacazette could be convinced to stay for another year or two, but even if he does a new goal scorer must be the top priority for the club.
Enter Dybala, who, while not an out-and-out No.9, is widely considered one of the best forwards in the world, having recorded 112 goals and 53 assists for Juventus since 2015.
The Argentine is a five-time Serie A winner and reached the Champions League final in 2017, but his time in Turin is coming to an end with Transfermarkt valuing him at £45million, the third must lucrative free agent this summer, behind only PSG’s Kylian Mbappe and Manchester United’s Paul Pogba.
As expected, many top clubs are vying for his signature so it would be a real coup for Arsenal if there were to land him, and although the 28-year-old would only be a short-term solution, a few years of Dybala up top should give enough time for the promising Gabriel Martinelli to turn into a star striker.
Franck Kessie
A player that has been constantly linked with a move to Arsenal, and indeed the rest of the Premier League elite, Kessie is set to leave AC Milan this summer, but his destination remains unclear.
Gunners fans will hope that it ends up being the Emirates, where the 6ft tall central-midfielder can display can show off his impressive passing range, strong tackling ability and accuracy from the penalty spot.
Although Thomas Partey has shown great improvement in his second season at Arsenal, he has lacked a consistent partner in the midfield pivot, with Maitland-Niles unfancied, Albert Sambi Lokonga still finding his feet and Granit Xhaka still infuriatingly inconsistent.
25-year-old Kessie would be an ideal signing therefore, and with a Transfermarkt value of £43.2million it would be a huge saving to snap him up on a free.
Boubacar Kamara
Should a deal for Kessie fail, Edu should turn his attention to Kamara who has already caught the eye of Manchester United, with interim boss Ralf Rangnick reportedly very keen on the French defensive midfielder.
The 22-year-old, who can also play at centre-back, has already made 150 appearances for boyhood club Olympique de Marseille and has established himself as one of the best young players in his position, boosting remarkable ball-winning and retention skills that have earned him comparisons with Real Madrid wonderkid Eduardo Camavinga.
While his offensive output is somewhat lacking, his defensive abilities could allow the likes of Partey and Odegaard to more easily focus on their attacking game.
Valued at just £22.5million by Transfermarkt, Kamara’s time in Marseille is said to be over and Arsenal should absolutely be in the race to sign one of the most promising young players in the world.
