Arsenal fans will be hopeful of Mikel Arteta's side hitting the ground running immediately when the new Premier League season gets under way against Nottingham Forest.
It's not that long ago when the Gunners entered summer transfer windows on the back of consecutive eighth-placed finishes. But after a much more respectable fifth-place finish in the 2021/22 campaign, the club took a giant step forward by claiming the runners-up spot in the season just gone.
Although having been in control of the Premier League title race heading into the final 10 games, being overtaken by Manchester City in the home stretch will have been a bitter pill to swallow, although sealing a return to the Champions League after a seven-year wait was achieved.
William Saliba sustaining a back injury in addition to the likes of Thomas Partey and Bukayo Saka losing form at a crucial stage of the season proved to be Arsenal's undoing when things were all said and done. Therefore, it simply highlights the task facing Arteta and sporting director Edu this summer.
The key to avoiding a repeat of last season's mini-collapse and mounting another title challenge will be to freshen up the squad in terms of new signings as well as making big decisions on a few long-serving players as well as those coming back from loan spells.
Signing a total of five players last summer with Gabriel Jesus the most expensive addition, all the talk over the next few months is going to be about if the Gunners exceed the spend of £120million as bolstering several areas in the squad is on the agenda at the Emirates Stadium.
READ MORE: Edu's next £100m transfer mission after Arsenal complete Declan Rice and Kai Havertz deals
As Man City will look to splash the cash to strengthen, Arteta and Edu are going to have to work their magic or Arsenal run the risk of falling capitalise on the progress made last season. So where do the Gunners need to strengthen and what would their ideal squad look like come August? football.london takes a look.
Goalkeepers
Aaron Ramsdale should continue as the first-choice option with Matt Turner as his understudy. Although a decision must be taken as to who will act as the third-choice goalkeeper next season as there's a strong argument Karl Hein's development would be aided by another temporary move away.
And with Estonia in contention to qualify for Euro 2024 which takes place at the end of the campaign, there's no better incentive for the youngster to head out on loan to get a full season of senior football under his belt to ensure he's match fit just in case his nation reaches a major tournament for the first time ever.
The problem is Runar Alex Runarsson doesn't have a future at the club and there could be interest in Arthur Okonkwo following two impressive loan spells with Crewe Alexandra and Sturm Graz across the season. Taking into account that Arteta likes to work with three goalkeepers, it could be that Hein stays put and Okonkwo departs if a decent offer comes in.
Defenders
football.london understands that an agreement has been reached with Saliba over a new contract and that is certainly a massive boost heading into the 2023/24 campaign. The Frenchman will have to be registered in Arsenal's Premier League squad due to his age as he no longer meets the criteria as an U21 player.
Realistically speaking, there isn't expected to be a great deal of change to the Gunners' defensive options as Takehiro Tomiyasu, Benjamin White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko are all likely to stay. Rob Holding also falls into this category unless a decent offer comes in whilst a new right-back - potentially Ivan Fresneda - could be signed.
In terms of outgoings, Pablo Mari's move to Monza should be confirmed fairly soon, Kieran Tierney has been linked with a switch to either Aston Villa or Newcastle United, Auston Trusty is to leave permanently, Nuno Tavares is attracting interest and it's difficult to imagine Cedric Soares being part of Arteta's plans despite his stance of seeing out the remaining year of his contract.
Midfielders
It just would not be a summer transfer window without talk of a midfield overhaul at Arsenal. But one could actually happen this year, especially as football.london understands Granit Xhaka is likely to join Bayer Leverkusen in a £13million deal with his replacement being Declan Rice.
Having seen an opening offer rejected by West Ham United for the England international, there's still work for Edu and company to do. They'll have to act fast amid reports Man City are now actively exploring their own approach for the 24-year-old. Should the Gunners win the race then Rice is likely to be one of two central midfield signings.
Amid links to Moises Caicedo and Ilkay Gundogan, the idea of bringing both in, whilst very ambitious, isn't impossible. This is mainly because the latter can be signed on a free transfer with his contract at Man City expiring at the end of the month. Having said that, reports now claim Arsenal's interest in the former has ended so it could just be the German arriving in N5.
With Partey, Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe, Jorginho, Fabio Vieira and Mohamed Elneny, Arteta has a nice mix of youth and experience in midfield which makes it easier to cope with Ainsley Maitland-Niles' exit as well as allowing Albert Sambi Lokonga to leave either permanently or on loan.
Forwards
Arsenal's forward line is settled. Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have signed new deals in recent months, football.london understands Hale End graduate Reiss Nelson is on the verge of doing so too and Leandro Trossard only arrived in the January transfer window.
Still, that's not stopped the Gunners from holding a genuine interest in Chelsea's Kai Havertz. Should the German make the switch to N5 then one can imagine he will be used mainly as a centre-forward role thus providing competition for Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah.
In terms of outgoings, another loan spell would be ideal for Marquinhos' development whilst football.london have reported that Nicolas Pepe and Folarin Balogun can leave permanently with the latter potentially bringing in a transfer fee north of £35million amid interest from teams across Europe.
That's four new signings and 13 player sales across the senior team - whether that be permanent or loan deals - that Edu could complete before Arsenal kick off the 2023/24 campaign at home to Nottingham Forest on August 12 to give Arteta his ideal squad in an attempt to improve on last season's second-placed finish.
Arsenal's ideal squad after 17 potential summer transfers:
Goalkeepers: Ramsdale, Turner
Defenders: Saliba, White, Gabriel, Kiwior, Holding, Tomiyasu, Zinchenko
Midfielders: Partey, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Jorginho, Fabio Vieira, Elneny, Rice, Gundogan
Forwards: Saka, Jesus, Martinelli, Nketiah, Trossard, Nelson, Havertz
Under-21 players: Hein, Fresneda, Walters, Sousa, Cozier-Duberry
Where do the Gunners need to strengthen? Have your say below!
READ NEXT:
Arsenal have already completed the first step for stunning Declan Rice transfer unveiling video
Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: Declan Rice deal advances, Bellingham announced, Caicedo bid
