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Arsenal could be thrilled to sign a player allegedly on Manchester United’s radar this summer - according to Football Manager.
While Arsenal look increasingly likely to head into the summer with some silverware to add to their trophy cabinet for the first time in six years, they are still expected to be active in the transfer market – with a number of areas still clearly needing to be addressed.
Their exceptional defence has helped to mitigate a rather imbalanced attacking unit, but a new left winger seems like a minimum requirement and it’s likely that some extra depth in midfield and up front could be on the cards as well. But who will they sign this summer – and will those deals pan out?
Given that we don’t have a functioning crystal ball at our disposal, we decided to turn to the most accurate predictor of the footballing future available to us: Football Manager 2026. We span a save to the end of the 2026/27 season to find out not only who Arsenal bought – but who turned out to be the biggest hit of their summer transfer business.
Manchester United target becomes Arsenal’s best buy of the summer – according to Football Manager
In our save, Arsenal spent around £175m over the course of a busy summer – a total which included a permanent deal for Piero Hincapié, a new first-choice goalkeeper in Atalanta’s Marco Carnesecchi, and two new midfielders in the shape of Felix Nmecha and Angelo Stiller.
Of those two new midfielders, one proved to be a massive flop while another flourished. Nmecha – allegedly a real-life target for Chelsea and other Premier League sides – was a disaster, couldn’t get any minutes with Declan Rice and Martín Zubimendi in the side, and ended the 2026/27 season on the transfer list. A warning, perhaps, to any top-flight side who considers signing the Borussia Dortmund man this summer.
Stiller, on the hand, was superb, and ended his first season as Arsenal’s highest-rated player behind Bukayo Saka. A dynamic box-to-box midfielder who displaced Zubimendi in the starting line-up almost immediately, the German cost just £35m from VfB Stuttgart and looked like one of the bargains of the summer.
It’s not unlikely that Stiller moves to England in the real world. Manchester United, in particular, have routinely been linked with the 24-year-old over the course of the last year or so, and there is a burgeoning interest in bringing the midfielder to the Premier League. But is Arsenal a likely destination, and could Football Manager’s prediction bear any resemblance to what happens in reality?
Could Angelo Stiller move to Arsenal this summer?
While Manchester United have come up in connection with a bid for Stiller more frequently, Arsenal have been linked with a bid in the past – The Daily Express, for example, reported that the Gunners were keen on him last September.
They do also appear to be in the market for another midfielder to rotate with Rice and Zubimendi, especially given that Christian Nørgaard has failed to effectively compete for a spot in the line-up – while Mikel Merino has generally been at his best in a more advanced role. A bid for Stiller isn’t entirely implausible, even if the real transfer fee would be expected to exceed the £35m that Football Manager envisions.
The biggest departure from the likely reality of Arsenal’s coming summer window is that the Gunners focussed so much on midfielders and a new goalkeeper rather than their attack. The left wing has become a point of concern, and a new striker could easily be an option given that Viktor Gyökeres has not been consistently convincing since signing from Sporting last year.
It’s highly unlikely that Arsenal sign multiple midfielders while neglecting their attack, but the specific idea of the club buying Stiller makes sense – and if Football Manager’s simulation of the game comes close to the actuality, then it would be an excellent signing.
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