If you have watched Edu's latest interview, then I'm sure part of it would have given you flashbacks to Josh Kroenke's in 2019. It was Unai Emery's second summer window and there were several links to new players, leading there to be somewhat of a positive atmosphere amongst supporters.
Gabriel Martinelli had already been brought in, but when asked about further business in the window that summer, Josh said: "I would say ‘be excited’. There are a few things that I know our group are working on, and a few things we hopefully have on the doorstep."
The club would go on to sign five more players for a combined total of around £132million, which included the likes of Nicolas Pepe, Kieran Tierney and William Saliba.
READ MORE: Fabio Vieira arrival proves Mikel Arteta and Edu right over new Arsenal transfer strategy
Looking back, It's safe to say that the excitement at the time was not matched on the pitch, with some of the signings failing to make an impact. Pepe looks set to leave just three years later, William Saliba is still waiting for his senior Arsenal debut, Dani Ceballos never really found his feet and David Luiz was, let's say, a questionable addition.
Fast forward to today, and it's Arsenal's technical director that has sent a similar message to fans. "We as a club here internally are very, very excited to go and to keep going for the summer," Edu said after the signing of Fabio Vieira was made official.
"I think we prepare very much well the strategy to go to the summer. There’s still something to do and we’re excited to keep going. I’m quite excited, I think we have some good conversations and positive conversations to be fair. I hope we can give to the fans some good news."
After experiencing quite the downfall after Josh's optimism, I can understand why some of you will be thinking 'we've heard it all before.' However, there are plenty of reasons to take much more encouragement this time around.
Arsenal's transfer strategy has changed drastically over the last couple of windows. Mikel Arteta likes there to be a long-term plan in place and when it comes to identifying targets, a lot more thought appears to be going into it. Age, quality, potential and personality now seem to be at the forefront of this process, and it's paid off so far.
All six of the club's signings last summer were aged 23 or younger, while already possessing valuable experience. They also have great attitudes and a positive mentality which has given the dressing room a much-needed lift. Granted, some have enjoyed more progress than others but all of them ultimately contributed to a relatively successful 2021/22 campaign.
Now, it's not just about splashing £70million on one player because they've had a great season. If they don't fit into the project and match the aspirations, then Arteta doesn't want to know.
Then of course there are the links that have and continue to appear. I can't remember a time when the fanbase was feeling so excited and refreshed because of the reported names we were interested in. Gabriel Jesus, Raphinha, Youri Tielemans and Lisandro Martinez highlight the ambition being shown by the club. Arteta said that it was time to go to another level, and he certainly wasn't lying.
Finally, there's the pace of negotiations and the eagerness to do business early. This is a rarity for Arsenal, but again, it looks like lessons have been learnt. Vieira became a Gunner just five days after he appeared in the media, and the smoothness of the deal is something Edu is pushing for again.
"When we faced this summer as we face it, we are really, really prepared to do almost everything as we did with Fabio. That’s why we move quite quickly because everybody’s really engaged, everybody is really focused to make the things happen."
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