As Arsenal's title hopes were all but ended with a 3-0 defeat to Brighton, Mikel Arteta was unusually forthright about what needs to change next season. "With the level that is required for the Premier League and to fight for the Champions League, the way we have to fight for the Champions League, there’s a lot to think about," the Spaniard said in his post-match press conference.
Admittedly it's not exactly clear cut, but as far as Arteta press conferences go it was pretty on the nose. The Spaniard appeared to be suggesting that if Arsenal are going to compete for the Premier League title again while also challenging in the Champions League, then reinforcements were going to be needed.
He's certainly not the only one in the club who thinks this. Owners Stan and Josh Kroenke are willing to keep up their investment in line with the significant spending that has taken place over the past few windows, while the extra revenue provided by Champions League qualification should give Edu more of a budget to play with this summer.
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This will be focused primarily on increasing the depth in areas of the squad that have been found lacking this season. Centre-back is certainly one of those. Rob Holding has been found wanting when it comes to providing quality back up for William Saliba this season and as a result a new right-sided defender is certainly on the cards. Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi is someone who football.london understands Arsenal have an interest in, but the England international has no intention to leave Crystal Palace in order to become a back up. That could make convincing him tough amid interest from Tottenham.
The most important task that Edu will have to negotiate this summer though is extending Saliba's contract. Arsenal are taking a more proactive approach to contract renegotiating in order to reward players who were signed on initially relatively low wages for their performances. This has seen new deals already agreed for Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli, while fresh agreements for Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Aaron Ramsdale are set to follow. In each case Arsenal had plenty of time left to let the contracts run down, but they acted quickly to ensure they were able to keep hold of their top talent.
Saliba remains a player they have failed to tie down thus far. Talks are ongoing and Arsenal are confident of getting a new deal over the line after triggering a one-year extension on his deal in December. They will be wary however, of the fact that the Frenchman will have just 12 months remaining on his contract when this season ends, and with plenty of interest from around Europe the hope will be that they can wrap those negotiations up sooner rather than later.
Another area where Arsenal could look to strengthen is at full-back. Oleksandr Zinchenko has revolutionised Arteta's capabilities from that position with his ability to invert, and although Kieran Tierney is still a highly-valued member of the squad, he's unable to replicate what the Ukrainian brings to the team. Tierney has been heavily linked with a move to Newcastle, while Real Madrid have also shown an interest.
Should the Scottish international leave, then Arsenal have reportedly shown interest in Joao Cancelo. The Portuguese international is set to return to Manchester City from his loan spell at Bayern Munich this summer, and is thought to be free to leave. Despite Arteta's good relationship with Pep Guardiola, City will be wary of selling to Arsenal this summer after Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus considerably strengthened the Gunners' title push.
As well as sorting out their backline, Arsenal would also like to add strength in depth to their midfield. Granit Xhaka has been a revelation in the number eight position this season, but football.london understands that he's in advanced talks over a move to Bayer Leverkusen this summer. The Swiss international is a leader within the dressing room, but Arteta has already shown a ruthless streak when it comes to dealing with players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bernd Leno if he feels upgrades can be made.
Their primary target to replace Xhaka is West Ham's Declan Rice. The England international's blend of athleticism and passing ability feels perfect for what Arteta wants in midfield, while his versatility could open up options for the Gunners' attack. He will not come cheap though, with West Ham keen to secure a British record fee.
Arsenal also maintain an interest in Brighton's Moises Caicedo, but whether they are able to get both deals done this summer could well depend on player sales. With the likes of Tierney, Xhaka, Rob Holding, Nicolas Pepe, Folarin Balogun, Emile Smith Rowe Nicolas Pepe, Charlie Patino and Albert Sambi Lokonga all being linked heavily with moves away, the Gunners could generate significant spending power. Money from player sales is likely to go straight into the transfer budget, so this promises to be a big summer for Edu to prove himself in an area where he has drawn criticism in the past.
Finally there is a feeling that more attacking depth could be needed this summer. Moussa Diaby has been linked along with Wilfried Zaha, but Arsenal have reportedly made another attempt to convince Reiss Nelson to stay which could be a cheaper ploy to bolster numbers. Arteta has consistently called for more firepower, and Arsenal's willingness to invest heavily in Mykhailo Mudryk before securing the services of Leandro Trossard in January suggests a willingness to invest heavily if it is felt that the deal is right.
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