The summer transfer window is fast approaching and Arsenal are expected to be one of the busiest Premier League clubs as Mikel Arteta aims to bolster his squad ahead of the 2022/23 season.
It proved to be a disappointing end to the last campaign for the Gunners, who finished fifth and narrowly missed out on a Champions League spot. Arsenal were in pole position to finish inside the top four but were pipped with a game to go by Tottenham after losing the North London derby.
However, the Gunners ended up nine points and three places better off than the previous term and Arteta is keen to continue adding to his ranks to build on a much-improved campaign. The Spaniard wants to bring in at least three new faces as they get set to play more matches with the return of European football.
A key position Arteta will be hoping to strengthen first is up front, with the Gunners needing to add another forward as Alexandre Lacazette is out of contract this summer. Eddie Nketiah, whose deal also runs out at the end of June, is expected to sign a new long-term deal to keep him at the club until 2027.
But the 22-year-old would still be Arsenal's only senior striker after Pierre Emerick-Aubamayeng was let go in January, when he signed for Barcelona. There is no doubt the Gunners must add another frontman and it could be argued they have picked the perfect window to do business in.
This is due to the amount of high-profile strikers who are either up for sale or have been linked with a move away from their clubs this summer. The Gunners were also in the market for a new No. 9 this time last year but missed out on signing the likes of Tammy Abraham, who joined Roma from Chelsea.
He is someone who has been tipped to move to back to the Premier League and sign for the Gunners, while a number of other players are available having not been on the market last summer. For example, Erling Haaland's arrival at Manchester City this month has potentially opened the exit door for Gabriel Jesus to leave the club.
The Brazilian international has found game time hard to come by for the majority of the season, although he did start five of City's final six Premier League matches. But Jesus will surely be knocked down the pecking order when Haaland joins from Borussia Dortmund in July, meaning he is likely to seek a move away with Arsenal and Tottenham interested.
Meanwhile, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has endured a difficult, injury-plagued season at Everton but no-one can doubt his quality on his day. The Sheffield-born forward averages a goal or an assist every 183 minutes in the top-flight this term, and he has been a long-term target for the Gunners. Arsenal were unable to attract him a year ago but the tables could have turned given his struggles and the Gunners' extreme need for a forward.
Which striker should Arsenal sign this summer? Have your say in the comments!
Elsewhere, The Telegraph report Jonathan David, Darwin Nunez, Ivan Toney, Armando Broja, Lautaro Martinez, Victor Osimhen and Gianluca Scamacca could all be on the way out of their respective clubs. Although Arsenal are not the only Premier League club in search of a new striker this summer, it would seem there are plenty of elite marksmen up for grabs.
Toney, Martinez, Scamacca, Calvert-Lewin and Jesus have all been named as players who would suit a move to the Gunners despite the fact they missed out on Champions League football. After his side's final-day 5-1 win over Everton, Arteta spoke about how he hopes to take the Gunners to the "next level" - and one way to do that is to add another striker.
He said: "They [supporters] can see what we’re doing, what the players want to do, how they represent the club, the values on and off the pitch, who we are as a group. And then we have the level that we have and it’s not been enough. We have to make a clear assessment on that and how we take the club to the next level. If we want to do that, we know what we have to do."
