When Mikel Arteta was spotted alongside Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke back in January, fans expected there to finally be some movement in what was ultimately a rather disappointing winter window. However, fast forward six months and it would appear that a lot of their discussions were actually centred around this summer.
With five new signings through the door and around £120m spent so far, it's clear that there must have been a lot of things to plan ahead for. Last summer, chief executive Vinai Venkatesham confirmed that Stan and Josh Kroenke 'sanctioned very significant investment in support of our strategy' as the club splashed a record £150m on reinforcements, and it looks like they are prepared to do the same again.
It's fair to say an awful lot has happened since Stan invited Arteta to watch his Colorado Avalanche hockey team in action at the beginning of the year. Arteta signed a new deal and the team of course returned to the Europa League after narrowly missing out on a Champions League spot.
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A top-four finish would have undoubtedly put more money on the table this summer, but that hasn't stopped the owners from investing heavily and it's a very welcome development considering the sour history between them and the fanbase.
While I'm sure Arteta was appreciative towards Stan in January for the previous spending spree, he is likely to have reiterated the need for another one in order to continue the rebuild of his squad. Today, that rebuild has progressed nicely, although there still remains more to do.
That's why Stan and Josh's presence at last night's match against Orlando City is hugely important for what happens over the coming days and weeks. The pair watched the game with Venkatesham, technical director Edu and the incoming Oleksandr Zinchenko, making it highly likely that talks regarding transfers were held in some capacity over the course of the evening. Non-executive director Tim Lewis was also in attendance.
It may have already been a busy window for the Gunners in terms of incomings, but the lack of departures is an issue and it's something Arteta wants to address soon.
Speaking after Arsenal's 3-1 win, the Spaniard said: "We have a large squad so we have to make some decisions as well on the players that we're not going to be using consistently and be fair and straight with them and that's a process that is going to start very soon as well. We have to (offload). We have a big squad and now we have to make things happen."
The need for clarity and communication within the club's hierarchy becomes even more crucial when considering that further signings are most likely dependent on players leaving first. Leicester City's Youri Tielemans is believed to be a top target for Arteta, but the inability to move on the likes of Lucas Torreira and Ainsley Maitland-Niles has led to a lack of progress in talks.
The same goes for Nicolas Pepe and the reported interest in acquiring a new winger. There's unlikely to be any movement in this position until the Ivorian's own future is resolved.
With just 15 days left until the 2022/23 Premier League season gets underway and 42 days remaining to get business done, there will now be an acceptance that things must start moving, and fast. The fact that Arsenal's senior figures are all together in the States at the moment will hopefully ensure a smooth process.
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