The transfer window’s relationship with Arsenal continues to be one of the most exciting periods of the footballing calendar. Despite there being little in terms of matches across the approximate three-month period, the constant churning of the rumour mill keeps the engagement high.
Arsenal have already been linked with some massive names and the club has done its part in hyping up expectation. Edu has given interviews detailing how he feels that the club is positioning itself well ahead of the summer window’s opening.
“The budget we used last summer, we prefer to use it to rebalance the squad,” Edu told ESPN Brasil. “There was no point in hiring one or two players [in January], the squad was not prepared to absorb two players, we needed to rebalance the squad. Maybe next season we can go to one or two players.
READ MORE: Gabriel Jesus, Darwin Nunez and Tammy Abraham: Ranking Arsenal’s 10 striker transfer targets
“Today we find a much more balanced squad. Our planning has already been done; it has already reached the owners. It's a matter of step by step, how we are going to finish the season and to put in plan the planning that I'm very excited about.”
Mikel Arteta spoke more recently about the window too. The Spaniard however shared far fewer details than his Technical Director colleague regarding the activity fans could expect.
“Yes,” he said when asked if he knew the plan for the summer. “It's not as easy as that but the plan is very clear.”
What both however have done is elevate the expectation. Arsenal spent more than any other side in the summer of 2021, and this was purely to ‘balance’ the side as Edu puts it. Now it is about taking a step forward in quality, and to do that the club will need investment.
Gabriel Jesus of Manchester City is one such player linked and football.london understands the Brazilian is on the shortlist with Tammy Abraham. Both players are likely to cost a serious figure, as will Napoli forward Victor Osimhen who has also been touted as interesting the gaze of the Arsenal recruitment team.
football.london understands that a central midfielder and backup right-back remain on the agenda. Ruben Neves and Youri Tielemans have been linked, although, Granit Xhaka’s recent form means the club should be targeting better options in order to take a step up in player quality.
At full-back, a versatile option that could cover both Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu would make a lot of sense. Nahuel Molina and Aaron Hickey’s recent links to the club indicate this very well may be the case with the two Serie A stars able to play on either flank.
Lastly and more central to the club itself is the decisive summer for William Saliba. Will he stay or will he go? In his most recent interview, Saliba left the door more than just ajar to both re-joining Arsenal and returning to Marseille.
"My wish is to finish the season well, to leave on a good note in case I don't come back. It would be my pleasure to come back no matter what,” he said to Amazon Prime. “It's not as if I know I’m not going to come back, it's Marseille, it's my club."
Mikel Arteta has consistently maintained the Frenchman is Arsenal’s player. He has impressed on loan but remains prone to errors, hardly surprising for a 20-year-old defender. But his ability cannot be denied and he has the potential to become a top player if integrated successfully.
All the aforementioned factors plus the currently unknown occurrences that are bound to spring into the fold all combine to form massive expectations and excitement. 2022’s summer promises to be one of the most gripping windows for Arsenal yet because there is a strong chance it can deliver. That said, qualification for the Champions League is bound to be imperative, so let’s keep those fingers crossed.
