For the second successive year, Arsenal are proving to be the big Premier League movers during the summer transfer window.
After being backed to the tune of more than £150million in 2021, Gunners bosses are putting their faith in Mikel Arteta again as he looks to finally end their Champions League hiatus. For much of the last campaign, a top-four finish looked nailed on, only for a late collapse to open the door for their rivals Tottenham.
But rather than wallow in their late-season woes, Arsenal have acted quickly to continue a ruthless overhaul which began with the Spaniard’s appointment in late 2019. So far Marquinhos, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner, Gabriel Jesus and most recently, Oleksandr Zinchenko have been brought in, at a cost of more than £100m.
However, technical director Edu has hinted that there could yet be more to come, before the window slams shut on September 1: "I think we have to be prepared for every situation. We still feel the transfer window is open and the most important thing is to be prepared for everything, every scenario, because opportunities can happen,” he told Sky Sports.
One position that Arteta would clearly still like to upgrade would be in the wide attacking areas, having missed out on the signing of Raphinha. The Gunners lodged multiplied bids for the Brazilian winger, only to see him join Barcelona.
That failed pursuit did show Arteta’s willingness to bring in a new player, with the future of record signing Nicolas Pepe up in the air. Cody Gakpo is another player believed to be on the recruitment team’s radar after a breakthrough season at PSV.
During the 21/22 campaign, the left-sided forward scored 21 goals in all competitions, as well as providing 15 assists for his team-mates. As a right-footed player on the opposite flank, the 22-year-old has developed an unerring reputation for cutting inside and firing shots at goal.
Football.London report that the Netherlands international is a target for Arteta and that the player himself would be open to a move to the Premier League. Gakpo has made no bones about his desire to test himself in England’s top flight and has also suggested his preference would be to turn out at The Emirates.
“The Premier League is a big league,” Gakpo told The Sun back in April. “Virgil van Dijk plays there with Liverpool so I like to watch them.
“We are not the same kind of league but I think we try to look at the Prem and learn about it. Everybody wants to play one time in the Prem.
“I don’t favour one team but I like Arsenal a lot,” he explained, thanks to the presence of his boyhood idol, Thierry Henry. “I looked up to Henry when I was younger because he was a tall guy who played on the wing.”
However, there are more than a few obstacles in the path between Gakpo and him holding an Arsenal shirt aloft on the London Colney training pitches. Firstly, having broken into Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands squad, he is now reluctant to risk his place at the upcoming World Cup by moving to a new club.
At PSV under Ruud van Nistelrooy, Gakpo is a guaranteed starter and the focal point of one of the biggest clubs in the country. Edu and Arteta would need to convince the forward that a move to north London wouldn’t see his playing time diminish, with Van Gaal already proving he is willing to dispense of players who aren’t regulars for their club side, a la Donny van de Beek.
Voetbal International also claim that PSV have their own set of demands, should they let their most prized asset leave the club this summer. Next week, they take on Monaco in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier with Monaco, before the return leg takes place in Eindhoven on August 9.
Club chiefs are therefore adamant that the player will remain with the club beyond that date in order to help them into Europe’s top competition and the riches that will accompany qualification.
That would mean that Arsenal, should they manage to strike a deal, would likely only do so after the new Premier League campaign has started. And while that isn’t a massive issue, Arteta will be desperate for a stronger start, having lost the opening three matches without scoring a goal last term.
