Plans for the summer transfer window are already in place at Arsenal. The window of opportunity for the Gunners to ignite themselves as one of England's top sides could not be greater after such an impressive 2022/23 campaign.
Mikel Arteta has guided the north Londoners to their first Premier League title race since 2016. With 11 games remaining, Arsenal sit five points clear of Manchester City and are in line to bring league success to N7 for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Claims that the Gunners' success has fallen at their lap on the count of 'luck' should be swiftly rebuffed. The transfer strategy deployed by Edu Gaspar and the recruitment team has overseen a tremendous overturn in the playing staff at London Colney with a number of players hitting incredible levels of performance on a weekly basis.
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The work done in January - that saw Jorginho, Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior all arrive - continued the trend of smart business and a perfect example of the policy devised behind the scenes. "We are very excited with where we are at the moment, but we have to understand there's still a journey to go, still things to do," Edu told football.london at the London Football Awards.
"Of course, we're happy to be in the moment we are now, but we have to understand there are still things to go to keep going."
The summer transfer window presents a golden opportunity for Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke to continue the club's upwards trajectory and place them in good stead for their return to the Champions League.
With that being said, football.london looks at seven deals the Gunners can complete at the end of the season to raise the available transfer budget.
Nicolas Pepe
Pepe's move to England in 2019 has failed to hit the impressive heights expected of him. His loan move back to France in the summer was the best option at the time, but it's hard to see where he will find himself in Arteta's plans next season.
As well as the ever-impressing Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, Trossard's January arrival means the options in attack are stronger than ever. Pepe has shown glimpses of his quality with Nice and with his contract at the Emirates Stadium expiring in 2025 and could end his torrid time in England in the summer.
Pepe, who is valued at £19.2m by transfermarkt, has missed the previous eight Ligue 1 fixtures after suffering from 'tendonitis' in his knee. A return to action before the end of the season could provide an opportunity to earn a move elsewhere.
Nuno Tavares
Another player who has impressed in windows during his temporary spell in France, Tavares faces a difficult task at breaking back into the Arsenal squad. Arteta's decision to play with an inverted full-back with Oleksandr Zinchenko has meant the requirement for a natural left-back is no longer needed.
Kieran Tierney, who was once a regular under Arteta, is now facing uncertainty over his future after Takehiro Tomiyasu's proven versatility. At only 23, Tavares has plenty of potential to grow and has shown his attacking prowess with Marseille.
The left-back, valued at £15.7m, has scored six goals for the Ligue 1 title chasers and has only missed five league games this season. With his current deal with Arsenal not due to expire until 2025, Edu has room to negotiate a good price with a potential suitor.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
It's wild to imagine Maitland-Niles leaving Arsenal for such a little fee after bursting onto the scene five years ago. The versatile Hale End graduate is only valued at £6.9m by transfermarkt after rather unimpressive loan spells with West Brom, AS Roma and Southampton.
Following the sacking of Nathan Jones at St Mary's, the 25-year-old has retained his place at right-back under Ruben Selles. However, he hasn't produced the levels once on display in 2020 and is an option to sell in the summer.
Arsenal exercised the option to extend his stay by a further 12 months last year so this summer is their last chance in recouping any sort of transfer fee. According to Sportrac, he earns around £52,000-per-week - reportedly more than Gabriel Magalhaes, Trossard and William Saliba.
Pablo Mari
The future of Mari is one that is out of Edu's hands. football.london understands that the Gunners are expected to receive £5.9m for the defender if Monza avoid relegation from Serie A.
And at the time of writing, they sit 14 points ahead of Verone in the final relegation spot with 12 games remaining. Mari has been a regular in Raffaele Palladino's defensive line this season and is on course to make a return to Europe.
Cedric Soares
Arsenal currently have a number of full-backs at their disposal that are either surplus to requirements or don't fit into Arteta's tactical vision. Cedric, unfortunately, is placed in the former category having fallen behind Ben White and Tomiyasu.
He joined Fulham towards the end of the January transfer window but has only made three appearances due to Kenny Tete's starring performances. However, with him close to entering the final 12 months of his deal at the club, sanctioning a permanent deal at the end of the season is the best route for both parties.
Auston Trusty
Trusty has settled into life at Birmingham City with little trouble, so much so that John Eustace has already declared his preference to sign the defender permanently.
With Gabriel and Saliba ahead of him, Kiwior's arrival in the winter has meant a route to the first-team seems further ahead than ever. He may even be best suited for a club looking to achieve promotion to the Premier League next season, considering Birmingham's financial woes.
Runar Alex Runarsson
Arsenal's journey as one of the Premier League's best teams has meant that many of Arteta's first signings are no longer at the level required. Aaron Ramsdale has already declared his desire to be a club legend while Matt Turner has impressed as deputy to the England international when called upon.
Like many on this list, when his loan spell in Turkey comes to an end he will have just one year on his deal in north London. Edu has recently strengthened his ability to complete good sales but inheriting any of the £1.8m they paid Dijon for in 2020.
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