It's an exciting time to be an Arsenal fan right now. The Gunners have already confirmed the £65 million arrival of Kai Havertz this summer, and now a club-record £105m deal for Declan Rice is set to follow. Edu has no intentions of stopping there though, with talks progressing positively over a deal for Ajax's Jurrien Timber.
There are also set to be several outgoings over the coming weeks. Thomas Partey is one of seven players who Arsenal are open to offers for after agreeing a £21.4m fee for Granit Xhaka. His arrival could well herald a fourth signing, with Romeo Lavia being heavily linked.
With all that going on it felt like the perfect time for a Q and A with football.london's chief Arsenal correspondent Kaya Kaynak. Here we take a look back on the highlights from Wednesday's session.
Q: Do you think our fullbacks are good enough? I’m not sure if timber will be enough going forward. Will he take White’s place?
KK: Personally I think full back is one of Arsenal's strongest positions right now. Arteta has players who can invert, players who can overlap, players who can dominate the ball, players who can win defensive duels and players who can lead. It's tricky to say if Timber will take Rice's place right now as White has been such an important player. What is for certain is that competition is no bad thing at Arsenal!
Q: I Want to ask about Fabio Vieira's future. Is Arsenal considering on loan Fabio?
KK: I have to say I would be surprised to see Fabio Vieira loaned this season. He may not have had the best of debut seasons but Mikel Arteta is still a huge fan. The Arsenal boss blames himself for Vieira's slow start to life in England. It's also worth remembering that Vieira's preseason last year was massively disrupted by injury. Hopefully if he can get a bit more of a rhythm going this time around he can hit the ground running and provide Arsenal with an option to rest and rotate Odegaard.
READ MORE: Arsenal reach £34.2m agreement with Ajax for Jurrien Timber transfer ahead of medical in London
Q: Why would Mikel Arteta allow Thomas Partey to go? Look at the midfield. Declan Rice, Jorginho, Havertz, Odegaard and perhaps Smith Rowe. These five midfielders won't be enough given the fact we have many leagues to compete this season.
It's certainly a fair question. I'm someone who would like to keep Partey just to ease my nerves in a transition season for Arsenal, but at the same time it's important to remember that this is ultimately a business for the Gunners. Partey has two years left on his current contract and isn't likely to be offered a new one. I think Arteta would be fine with keeping him but if the opportunity comes up to get good money for Partey this summer and bring in a long-term successor then it makes the most sense financially. Not an easy decision by any stretch of the imagination though.
Q: What's your take on the Tchouameni rumors? Is the player available? Is getting another expensive (£70m+) really financially feasible for us this summer? Given the Havertz and Rice arrivals, where would he play?
KK: Good question. It's hard to really say what is and isn't financially viable for Arsenal before they get some sales done. All of that money will be available to reinvest into the playing staff this summer. I have to say when you factor in the wages he would likely demand Tchouameni seems unlikely, but then again Arsenal have spent £105m on Declan Rice this summer so I'm not sure we can rule anything out!
Q: Any update on Flo Balogun/Nketiah? If one of them goes, are we signing any replacement?
KK: Hey thanks for the question! As it stands Arsenal are asking for £50m for Balogun. I'd be very impressed if they got that though even if there are plenty of teams interested. RB Leipzig are very keen and there's sides in Italy and the Premier League who want him too.
Out of Flo and Eddie I'd say the former is likely to leave. Arsenal are willing to accept permanent offers on most of their loanees from last season. Nketiah is still viewed as an important part of the squad.
Who should Arsenal keep or sell this summer? Have your say below!
