It still remains very quiet at the Emirates Stadium when it comes to transfers ahead of the 2025/26 season. At a time when others are up and running with fresh additions for their squad, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal fans are still waiting.
Andrea Berta will be hoping to mark his first transfer window as sporting director with some pivotal moves in the market that result in the Gunners getting their hands on some much-needed silverware. Martin Zubimendi still remains an Real Sociedad player for the time being and then Arsenal have a huge call to make over when they go all out for Benjamin Sesko or Viktor Gyokeres.
Many will feel that Arsenal should not be going for a striker this summer because, quite simply, it should have been sorted for Arteta 12 months ago. The need for a proven goalscorer was clear to see but the north London club did not address the issue in the summer nor in January when the transfer market reopened for business.
Instead, a total of £100.6million, including potential add-ons, was spent on the permanent signing of David Raya and moves for Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino. Neto and Raheem Sterling then joined the club on loan prior to the end of the transfer window.
Merino may be a midfielder by trade but he was to have an impact in the final third for Arsenal having been utilised as an emergency striker in Arteta's hour of need. The positional switch did work but it only highlighted the need to sign a new striker for the 2025/26 campaign.
Arsenal have spent north of £100milliion in each of the past three summer transfer windows but that has not been enough to end their trophy drought for good. Ask Arsenal fans what the standout summer market was for the club in recent years and all will point to the summer of 2023.
Including potential add-ons, the club splashed out £211million that summer as Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, Declan Rice and Raya all signed on the dotted line. Rice cost half of that figure after joining from West Ham for £105milllion, with Havertz costing £65million, Timber £38.6million and Raya was a £3million loan signing from Brentford.
It was very much a statement of intent from the Gunners after finishing second in the Premier League table the previous year but they would unfortunately finish behind champions Manchester City again, this time by two points. What was notable about that summer was that Arsenal were quick movers in the transfer market in their bid to overhaul City.
Havertz made the move across the capital from Chelsea at the end of June, Timber joined on July 14 and Rice followed the next day. Raya's loan move from Brentford was then finalised one month later, three days after the team had started the Premier League season with a home win over Nottingham Forest.
Having the big-money signings in place for the vast majority of the pre-season was a smart move and one all clubs dream of as they bid to get off to a flying start. Arsenal did that as they won seven of their first ten Premier League games.
Unfortunately for Timber he would miss practically all of the season after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest, returning on the final day against Everton. Rice and Raya would have standout first campaigns in an Arsenal shirt, with Havertz going on to make a real impact in the second half of the term after initial question marks about his best position in the team.
Arsenal made a real statement in the transfer market that summer and it almost paid off with the Premier League title. After their transfer decisions one year ago, the club have to signal a statement of intent, as was the case in 2023, and splash the cash if they are to topple Liverpool and Manchester City, who have already spent £172million (once Florian Wirtz's £116million transfer is completed) and £113.25million respectively this summer.
Arsenal have to show they mean business and that means finalising incoming transfers sooner rather than later.