Will the swiftness of Arsenal’s business make a major difference?.
How important is the earliness of
Arsenal’s activity in the transfer window?
Arsenal in preseason training at La Manga Club, Cartagena. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
All eyes are on **Arsenal**in the transfer window. The team finished as the runners-up in the **Premier League**for the third year in a row, but they took a backward step with a tally of 74 points, 15 fewer than they attained in the 2023/24 campaign and 11 fewer than their total from the 2022/23 season.
Meanwhile, cup competitions were barely a reprieve. In less than a week, the Gunners were all but out of the Carabao Cup semi-final after a first leg 2-0 loss to Newcastle United and exited the **FA Cup**third round for the second year in a row with a penalty shootout defeat to Man United at home.
The only hope for silverware was the Champions League, and the dream died in the final four as eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain got the better of Mikel Arteta and his men. It marked a fifth trophyless season in a row and a lot of room for internal reflection. So, how are **Arsenal**responding?
What work have Arsenal done this summer?
Focus was even greater on the business off the pitch because of the arrival of Andrea Berta in March as the new sporting director. The Italian took the place of Edu Gaspar, and expectations were high. He has a glowing record from his work at Atletico Madrid, where he worked for more than a decade.But in sport, you are only as good as your latest exploits: it was imperative to hit the ground running.
He has read and understood the brief. While we will never see how **Arsenal**are conducting their affairs on the inside, no one can doubt that the club have been actively striving to evolve the squad.
Three new men have already walked through the door. Kepa Arrizabalaga signed for a fee of £5 million as he closed the chapter of his career at Chelsea, while Christian Norgaard also crossed the capital city for an initial fee of £10 million, leaving **Brentford**after a stint that lasted six seasons.
These two individuals have added depth to defensive positions for a low cost, and a signature signing completes the trio of official additions. Martin Zubimendi sealed a switch from Real Sociedad to North London for a fee of £55 million. The club were willing to go over his release clause to stagger the payment for the player, and he has clarified the future for the midfield over the next few years.
If the reports are to be believed, the Gunners could bag a second hat-trick in a mere matter of days.
Noni Madueke missed the Club World Cup final with the Blues as he closes in on a £52 million move. **Arsenal**also have apparently dealt with the deadlock over a deal with **Sporting**for their star striker, Viktor Gyokeres. As an option at the other end of the pitch, 21-year-old defender Christian Mosquera has opened up about his plans to leave **Valencia**as he looks ready to come to London.
If all these transfers go through, **Arsenal**will have wrapped up six signings before their preseason officially begins. The group are gearing up for the next campaign with training in Spain, but the first fixture on their pre-season tour in Singapore against **AC Milan**does not take place until 23 July.
Arsenal attempt to keep pace with the competition
For the critics, they might deem the swiftness of this work as a necessary step for success next season.
As active as **Arsenal**have been, competition for titles is always relative. While the stability of the backroom staff should mean the club is not too worried about external noise, it would be remiss of Arteta, Berta, and co. to not have half an eye on what is going on with their rivals for the top honours.
Man City, four time champions of the Premier League, also suffered a season with no silverware. That failure has happened for the first time since 2017, while **Pep Guardiola**has never gone back-to-back years as a manager without winning a league title. Now, they are striking back for vengeance.
The Citizens wrapped up three significant signings before the middle of June. Rayan Cherki, one of the most creative players in European football, and Tijjani Reijnders, the **Serie A**midfielder of the season, joined the club for a total expense of £80 million to refresh an aging unit in their squad.
The first incoming was Rayan Ait-Nouri. For £32 million, the team acquired a player familiar with England from his time at **Wolves**and a technically talented left back who is already finding his feet.
Yet, they may not even be the most feared outfit on the **Premier League**circuit as August approaches.
**Liverpool**got a new lick of paint with the arrival of Arne Slot as their new boss and stormed to the league title. Having conserved the money in their coffers a year ago, they have set about plans to defend their crown for the first time in the **Premier League**era with a significant spending spree.
Two dynamic, forward thinking fullbacks in Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong fill a need in their back four. **Florian Wirtz**signed for a nine figure fee as a creator who rivals Cherki, and an approach to Newcastle United has confirmed that Alexander Isak is on their radar. With new deals for **Virgil van Dijk**and **Mo Salah**already in the bag, the Reds remain the team to beat for many observers.
To put it plainly: **Arsenal**are not allowing themselves to fall out of the running before the race begins. At the same time, it is worth noting what early work in the window has meant for the club previously.
A break with historical precedence
To achieve what they have not done for 21 years, the Gunners must make something of a break with the past. Arsenal have often failed in clear ways to pull all the pieces together in the transfer window.
Edu was appointed the club's first sporting director in November 2022. Earlier in the year, they had wrapped up three main summer signings: **Fabio Vieira**and Gabriel Jesus had joined by early July, while Oleksandr Zinchenko came in the middle of preseason. The squad was not too deep, but the retooling of the left-sided unit was prompt and allowed the team to fly out of the traps that season.
Similarly, the club had spent the best part of £200 million on all their acquisitions by the middle of July before the 2023/24 season. Clear targets in midfield, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, and a smart pickup for Jurrien Timber, evolved the starting eleven. But Arteta would continue to complain about having a "small squad" as Arsenal crashed out of the domestic cups and were second best once more.
Stagnation set in over the last twelve months. Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori could not raise the ceiling, the only offensive recruit was deadline day loanee Raheem Sterling, and minutes in the legs of the most integral members of the squad started to catch up with a series of hamstring injuries.
Strong seasons have correlated with quick work in the window. In the case of this summer, the club was crying out for a second wind to restore the good feeling. At the start of June, it looked like there was a lot of work to complete to put Arteta in the best possible position to get over the line this time.
Arsenal approached this window with the tricky task of adding depth, renewing contracts for key players, and raising the level of the offence. The two targets in the attack are divisive talking points. But the board have moved quickly and are closer to all three goals than when the window started.
Whatever opinions are on all the targets, the Gunners have been shrewd enough not to lock blindly onto particular targets from back to front. Nowhere is that clearer than with their solution for a striker.
Benjamin Sesko seemed to be stringing the club along for the second summer in a row, but Berta has been willing to pull the plug on that deal and sort out the situation with a lower fee, low-risk option.
The start of the season is unforgiving. Trips to Man United, Liverpool, and Newcastle United, as well as a visit from Man City, are all on their schedule before the end of September. If you fail to prepare, be prepared for failure: that is not an option for Arsenal, who are acting accordingly.