The summer transfer window may have been and gone, but Arsenal's recruitment team will already be hard at work to ensure plans are in place for January and even next summer. Although a combined £270million has been spent on 11 new signings over the past year, worrying gaps in Mikel Arteta's squad remain despite the overall level being raised.
One of those gaps is in the wing department following the loan departure of Nicolas Pepe. Arsenal were planning to sign a replacement for the Ivorian in the remaining days of the transfer window until injuries to Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny changed those plans late on.
The decision was made to pursue a midfielder instead, namely Douglas Luiz, but the club was ultimately unsuccessful in its attempts to sign the Brazilian from Aston Villa. As a result, Arteta will now have to go without a new midfielder and winger until the winter at least.
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There's an acceptance that both areas of the squad must be bolstered at some point, though Arteta has already hinted that a new forward remains a priority. "We know as well where we are short, where we have to add more firepower. And if we can do it, we will do it," he said.
One of the likelier options for Arteta and technical director Edu could be Shakhtar Donetsk's Mykhaylo Mudryk. According to The Athletic, the Ukrainian international was discussed among Arsenal's recruitment team after receiving glowing reports about his talent and temperament. A formal bid is even thought to have been considered before the injuries in midfield struck.
Brentford are also believed to be monitoring the 21-year-old, who scored one goal and provided two assists against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday. Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Shakhtar Donetsk turned down bids worth around £25million for the player last week and are instead demanding upwards of £43million for his services.
Meanwhile, another one of Arsenal's long-term targets may have got away for now but will no doubt remain on their watchlist. That player is Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who the Gunners have scouted for the past three years. "This is known in Rubin, they came from London to a match with Dynamo. Arsenal watched him. They are very closely following him," his agent confirmed in 2019.
It was reported back in April that Arsenal joined Napoli in the race for Kvaratskhelia, although the Serie A side was always viewed as favourites to secure his signature. The 21-year-old Georgian international has hit the ground running since arriving in Naples this summer for a fee of just £8.6million, scoring four goals and providing two assists, one of which came against Liverpool on Wednesday.
Whether Arsenal reignite any interest in either Mudryk or Kvaratskhelia is another matter, but considering the club has already built bridges with both camps, it could hand them a major advantage in the future. Whatever decision is taken and whoever is targeted on the wing, it's likely going to take a premium price to get a top-quality forward through the door. Wolves' Pedro Neto was reported to be another name under consideration, though his £50m price tag could prove off-putting.
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