This summer is, by Mikel Arteta's own admission, going to be the most "crucial" yet in his time in charge of Arsenal. The Gunners have overseen a massive squad overhaul over the past two seasons which has led them to a point where they were able to push Manchester City for the Premier League title this season.
After ultimately coming up short though, Arteta has admitted that his side need to improve their level if they're going to compete in both the Premier League and Champions League next season. "I know we’re not at that level, but we have to find a way," the Spaniard said after Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. "This is not enough."
As he seeks to do that, it's no secret that players like Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo are on the radar. More recently though, two even higher profile names have been heavily linked.
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Arsenal are reportedly interested in bringing in Manchester City duo Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo. It would mark the second summer in a row that they signed a pair of players from Pep Guardiola's side if they were to complete deals, after the arrivals of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus last summer.
The former City duo have undoubtedly had a huge impact on the Gunners this summer, raising them up to a level that few thought possible. When it comes to signing two more players from the club where he spent three seasons as an assistant coach though, Arteta has delivered something of a warning.
Two weeks ago Arsenal took on Brighton in the Premier League. The Seagulls have been a massive success story in the Premier League this season, massively punching above their weight through smart scouting and shrewd sales in the transfer market. Many questioned whether Arsenal might want to look at adopting a similar model of spotting the next big thing before anyone else to save themselves plenty of money in the transfer market. Arteta though revealed he was against that policy.
"No, you cannot replicate it," he said prior to the Gunners' 3-0 defeat a fortnight ago. "I think the model that Brighton has is great for Brighton, we cannot have the same model, we have to have a different model. I’m sure there are things we can apply to our model that they do extremely well, but it’s a different model, they have different demands, they have a different size of club, and probably a different approach as well, so it would be a mistake in my opinion to try to do that."
As Arsenal look to sign yet more players from Manchester City, there could be an argument made that they are copying too much from the Etihad Stadium. Make no mistake, Gundogan and Cancelo would be great signings. With Granit Xhaka set to leave the former would bring another level of quality in the left eight position, while the latter would be able to offer the inversion from full-back that has been lacking when Kieran Tierney has been in the side this season.
But as Arsenal seek to do things their own way in the transfer market, taking on two more players from City, may be something they want to avoid. The pair would improve the squad, but there are other players who would do the same, and the Gunners must forge their own path to glory.
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