A big summer awaits Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar at Arsenal. After pushing Manchester City close for the Premier League title, one or two shrewd additions in the transfer market could make all the difference next season.
But what decisions need to be made? Who should the Gunners pair be looking at with regard to bolstering the first-team squad to mount another challenge as well as competing in the Champions League? Who should be kept on and perhaps most importantly who should be sold?
In an attempt to answer those burning questions, taking a leaf out of our friends at the Daily Mirror's book we asked our football.london team to play 'Managing: Arsenal' and below is what they said.
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Tom Canton
It’s quite simple, if Arsenal want to better compete with Manchester City then they need to adopt the approach of having at least 18 players in the squad who are capable starters. Already at the end of the season, they could find themselves down some with the potential exits of Granit Xhaka and Kieran Tierney and these will be replaced.
Realistically, Emile Smith Rowe, Leandro Trossard, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho are a quintet outside of this season’s arguable best eleven on the bench. Therefore after moving on the likes of Rob Holding, Eddie Nketiah and some others returning from loan will trim the squad in the correct way and open doors for more new arrivals.
These need to be at the top level and in midfield a mega-double signing of Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo would be immediately on my agenda. I’d look to sign Raphael Guerreiro on a free transfer having left Borussia Dortmund with six goals and fourteen assists this season playing left-back and in midfield.
Sacha Boey is a player who is catching the eye and the more research on him I do the more impressed I become and believe he could be the faster right-back option to offer more in the final third that the Gunners need. Up top I’d add a striker with a different profile to Gabriel Jesus and Randal Kolo Muani would be my top pick, but if he is too pricey then Rasmus Hojlund would be the alternative.
These five additions with scope for potentially a creative midfielder if the budget allows, James Maddison please, would give the squad a huge injection of quality and versatility. It would provide Mikel Arteta the quality options he needs to fight on all fronts.
Aaron Catterson-Reid
This summer seems like a straightforward one for Arsenal, on paper at least. Midfield is the obvious place to start, Mikel Arteta's side need physicality in the centre of the park, particularly with Granit Xhaka set to leave for Bayer Leverkusen.
Adding Declan Rice offers tactical versatility, with the West Ham captain more than capable of operating as a lone no.6 or even roaming further forward in Xhaka's vacated left-sided no.8 spot. It would be difficult to recruit both Rice and Moises Caicedo in the same summer but bringing in the Ecuadorian could take the Gunners to the next level, reinforcing their transition defence whilst also keeping a high level of vertical progression and press resistance in central areas.
Defence also needs tweaking but more in terms of adding depth so an injury to the like of William Saliba wouldn't derail their entire campaign again. Mohamed Simakan makes sense as an option to cover centre-back and right-back, a là Ben White.
Arsenal's frontline is one of the best in Europe, little adjustments are needed there but perhaps a backup left-footed right-winger could be brought in to ease Bukayo Saka's creative burden from the right flank. Moussa Diaby may prove too expensive so potentially Mohammed Kudus makes sense as an alternative, who can also fill in elsewhere when required.
Sam Truelove
Arsenal find themselves in a strong position this summer and it's vital they get the major decisions right. Firstly, outgoings. Edu must sell wisely and it helps that, for once, the Gunners have a number of dispensable high value assets. First out the door should be Folarin Balogun, who has had a fine season in France and could be sold for as much as £40 million.
If the 21-year-old stays in north London minutes are likely to be hard to come by so for that reason he should leave. The same goes for Kieran Tierney, who could command a fee of up to £40 million, with Newcastle United among those interested.
Elsewhere, Granit Xhaka and Charlie Patino should be granted their wish to leave, while the club should listen to offers for Rob Holding, Emile Smith Rowe and Jorginho. The latter two may be a surprise, but Smith Rowe would command a decent fee and there isn't really a position for him in the starting XI at present. Jorginho was more of a stop-gap signing, too, and if the club can recoup what they paid for him it's a no-brainer in my eyes.
Now for the fun part - signings. Declan Rice is obviously the priority signing but I wouldn't pay more than £100m for him, either. If the Gunners can't secure the West Ham captain's signature, deals for Martín Zubimendi and Mason Mount should be explored. I can see Youri Tielemans (free transfer) in an Arsenal shirt as well, and I wouldn't rule out a move for Ruben Neves, who could be available for a reasonable price.
Ivan Fresneda seems a reasonable buy due to his versatility, and that could allow Ben White to move back to his favoured centre-back role. At left-back, I like the look of Croatian Borna Sosa, who has earned comparisons to David Beckham due to his wicked delivery. I would personally stay clear of Joao Cancelo and instead try and sign an elite No.9, which would mean Gabriel Jesus can be a striker backup and decent replacement for Bukayo Saka when he needs a rest. My pick? Lille's Jonathan David.
Josh Holland
Unlike previous years, Arsenal are going into the summer strong-armed with a clear strategy of where to improve. The days of Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Lucas Perez signing for the club are no longer among us.
Mikel Arteta, understandably, wants to upgrade his squad for next season after seeing his players fall short in the latter part of 2022/23. In the previous two years, sporting director Edu Gaspar has spent wisely and the same methods will have to be used this time.
First through the door should be Declan Rice. Arsenal will be hoping that there is no repeat of January’s Mykhailo Mudryk situation. Getting the deal over the line early in the window will be key. Much has been said about improving Arteta’s defensive options after the limited options in the position were exposed following William Saliba’s injury. Jakub Kiwior, though, is more than a trustworthy option and is more than capable of adapting to English football to save Stan Kroenke millions.
A position that does require attention is in attack. Gabriel Jesus is a top talent and has helped take Arsenal to the next level, but they have lacked a prolific goalscorer at times and Goncalo Ramos would be the perfect arrival.
Richard Cusack
It's all set for an exciting summer at the Emirates Stadium. Owner Stan Kroenke and son Josh seem re-energised and their teams are on a roll. Last year, Arsenal's recruitment chiefs made the difference with two key signings in Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Adding Declan Rice from West Ham United and bringing in another top class full-back would add another sprinkle of world class talent to a team that was not far away last season. The Champions League will bring with it added games and pressures, meaning Arsenal will need to recruit players who can flourish in that kind of environment.
The focus this summer will be on bringing in the players who can put the Gunners back in the mix with world-class teams and help to continue the mentality change at the club. It's also going to be a period of adjustment to new expectations and how Arsenal deal with the season after a title challenge that was ahead of schedule will be interesting.
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Arsenal's main focus this summer should be to raise the level of Mikel Arteta's strongest XI. In a dream world, Jude Bellingham would be the perfect replacement for Granit Xhaka in the left-sided number eight role in midfield. Realistically, that's unlikely to happen but Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo would be equally as excellent additions.
Having scored 88 Premier League goals this season, it does sound ridiculous to suggest the Gunners need reinforcements in attack, but if a different type of profile to Gabriel Jesus happens to be on the market then Edu should pursue it - whether that be to make another attempt to sign Dusan Vlahovic or someone else.
In terms of departures, there is a scenario where Kieran Tierney seals a switch to Newcastle United. However, with Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu - if he can stay fit - capable of operating at left-back, Arsenal needn't have to rush to sign a replacement amid links to Joao Cancelo.
Now, Rob Holding is an interesting case. Were he to leave this summer, ideally his replacement has Premier League experience, meets the homegrown quota and is happy being a squad rotational option. That makes any search very difficult, but Liverpool's Joe Gomez does fit the bill. A wildcard option sure, though he can play as a centre-back and at right-back, also has Champions League experience so perhaps it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.
I do think Marc Guehi would be a good signing but at 22 years of age, playing regular first-team football is extremely beneficial for his development and I'm not so sure he'd be afforded those opportunities at Arsenal especially if William Saliba is fully fit at the start of next season.
Furthermore, Arteta will have to make decisions on several members of the loan army and I wouldn't be surprised to see Nuno Tavares, Nicolas Pepe, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Auston Trusty, Marquinhos and Runar Alex Runarsson join Xhaka, Pablo Mari and Ainsley Maitland-Niles through the exit door one way or another.
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