Following a surprisingly quiet January and the disappointing conclusion of the 2021/22 season, the mood at Arsenal received a much-needed boost this summer thanks to the impressive transfer business conducted by the club.
Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, in particular, have played a key part in helping the Gunners win their opening three games of the new season which has resulted in them sitting top of the Premier League table. However, with only eight days of the window left, gaps in Mikel Arteta's squad remain and so does the possibility of falling short once again if they are not addressed.
The Arsenal boss has confirmed that the door remains open for further incomings but reiterated his aim, which is to only sign top quality players who will improve the team. If they are not available on the market now, the likelihood is that Arteta and technical director Edu will decide to wait until January or even next summer due to the revamped strategy they have recently implemented.
READ MORE: Arsenal have three Pedro Neto alternatives as doubts emerge over Edu's £50m transfer target
Record signing Nicolas Pepe is closing in on a loan move to French side OGC Nice, football.london understands. Various reports have claimed that Wolves' Pedro Neto is the priority target to replace the Ivorian, although his potential price tag of £50m could prove off-putting.
While it is encouraging to see that Arsenal are actively planning for life without Pepe by targeting someone who undoubtedly fits in with what Arteta is looking for, the financial demands set by Wolves run the risk of leaving them with no choice but to walk away. I'm not saying this is the end of the world, far from it, but you would like to hope that there are other names being lined up just in case.
Even with Pepe's presence around the team, Bukayo Saka has been screaming out for competition and support for a very long time now. Additionally, the return to Europe and the introduction of five substitutions make depth more important than ever before.
With injuries and departures leaving the squad significantly weaker, we were all saying the same thing in January - 'surely they will sign someone, they've got to,' but Arsenal decided against it and ultimately paid the price. For me, it is a decision which they cannot afford to repeat in the next few days, regardless of Neto's availability.
I appreciate the team is in a much healthier position compared to last season, but if it wants to improve and compete against some of the best around, there must continue to be solid options both in the starting XI and on the bench. Arteta has had to rely on youngsters from the U21 squad to make up the numbers far too many times and when you look at a fully fit Manchester City or Liverpool squad, the difference is night and day in terms of the quality they can turn to.
I suppose the fact that Oleksandr Zinchenko was swiftly lined up after the failed pursuit of Lisandro Martinez is encouraging and perhaps a hint that a similar approach will be taken with a new forward. Shakhtar Donetsk's Mykhaylo Mudryk is reportedly on the radar, with Media Foot Marseille suggesting that Arsenal have become increasingly active in following the 21-year-old's file without submitting an offer.
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