Arsenal are gearing up for a busy 2026 summer transfer window
Arsenal will head into the 2026/27 Premier League season as champions, and have an excellent chance of retaining their title. Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea are all going through transitional periods after changing their respective managers, giving the settled Gunners an ideal opportunity to press on and assert their dominance on the division.
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The Premier League fixtures were released earlier this month, and Arsenal have a pretty ideal first match: at home to newly promoted Coventry City. While the initial stages of the season get trickier after that, with games against the likes of Aston Villa and Chelsea as well as tough trips to Brighton and Sunderland, a relatively favourable end-of-season run-in will give the Gunners further belief in their chances of bagging back-to-back league titles.
Mikel Arteta’s side are far from the finished article, however, and will be eager to make new signings over the summer months. Last year, Arsenal spent around £250m on new signings, with mixed results. Midfielder Martin Zubimendi was a revelation, while the needless acquisition of Christian Norgaard from Brentford is one best forgotten.
This summer, the Gunners are looking to sign players across a number of positions. They’re believed to be prioritising the signing of a left winger, while also pushing to land a new central midfielder and a left-back. They’ve been linked with a host of top quality fresh arrivals, including Aston Villa gem Morgan Rogers and Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes.
We wanted to figure out exactly who could be coming to the Emirates Stadium this summer, so we loaded up our trusty copy of FM 26, and had the cripplingly addictive football management game predict exactly who Arsenal will sign over the coming weeks. This is who they bought.
Arsenal’s summer transfer window predicted: Xhaka to Palma
Bayern Munich star Konrad Laimer is among a host of players Arsenal have been predicted to sign this summerplaceholder image
Bayern Munich star Konrad Laimer is among a host of players Arsenal have been predicted to sign this summer | Getty Images
Granit Xhaka - £18m from Sunderland: A bit of a shock to get the ball rolling here! Chelsea initially made a move to sign the Switzerland international, but Arsenal swooped in to hijack the deal and re-sign their former skipper. Aged 33, Xhaka is no spring chicken, but his signing allowed Arsenal to fill a gap with an experienced leader who knows the club well.
Konrad Laimer - £34m from Bayern Munich: Arsenal added to their Swiss signing with a real Swiss army knife of a player, bringing in the Austrian ace who can play pretty much everywhere across the pitch. He’s currently at the World Cup with his country and preparing to face Spain in the Round of 32, after finishing second in their group.
Mandela Keita - £58m from Parma: In real life he’s been linked with Everton, but on FM it was Arsenal who sealed a move for the 24-year-old Belgium international. He’s ball-winning midfielder renowned for his relentless energy and tackling ability, and has also played for the likes of Antwerp and OH Leuven in the past.
Matteo Palma - £66m from Udinese: The Gunners kept up their spending at a fearsome pace, adding the versatile defender to their back line following the exit of Ben White to Everton. The 18-year-old gem is absolutely rapid, and is widely regarded as somewhat of a ‘wonderkid’. A fine bit of business indeed.
Arsenal’s summer transfer window predicted: Jones to Ait-Nouri
PSG's Bradley Barcola could be a high quality addition for Arsenal's left flankplaceholder image
PSG's Bradley Barcola could be a high quality addition for Arsenal's left flank | Getty Images
Curtis Jones - £35m from Liverpool: The England international was all set to move to Serie A giants Inter, but Arsenal swooped in and hijacked the deal at the last minute. The 25-year-old left Anfield after struggling for regular first-team football. If anything, Arsenal were now rather too bulky in midfield following the arrivals of Xhaka, Keita and Jones.
Bradley Barcola - loan with option to buy from PSG: Goodness me, Arsenal really weren’t messing around. They solved their wing problem by snapping up the supremely talented young Frenchman, after PSG decided to replace him by making a mega-money move for RB Leipzig gem Yan Diomande, who is currently tearing it up at the World Cup with the Ivory Coast.
Rayan Ait-Nouri - £40m from Man City: Arsenal’s Premier League title rivals made their own blockbuster move for Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall, meaning they were willing to let Ait-Nouri go. The Gunners had already spent some serious money in the window, but still needed to sign a left-back, so launched a late window move to bag the Algerian ace.
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