Arsenal are in the market for more firepower with Julian Alvarez and Morgan Rogers among their targets, but new transfers will force Mikel Arteta to change his approach
Mikel Arteta spoke of taking Arsenal up another level after their Champions League final defeat
Mikel Arteta spoke of taking Arsenal up another level after their Champions League final defeat(Image: Kevin Voigt/GettyImages)
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If Mikel Arteta wants to find that other level he spoke about in the aftermath of Arsenal's Champions League final loss to PSG then he'll have to resist reverting to type - which he was unable to do last season.
The Gunners will go into the upcoming season as champions of England - something they haven't been able to say for 22 years. That is a credit to Arteta.
Since 2022 they've been a coming force and, after three near misses, got over the line. It was almost backed up by a historic double, but PSG thwarted them on penalties. History will look kindly on the north Londoners losing cruelly in a shootout, but the painful reality was a gulf in class.
PSG dominated Arsenal to show that the European champions remain a level above Arteta's defensive unit. And so the answer, as it was 12 months ago, is to add quality in the final third, the type of quality that can win big games on their own.
It is no different to the evolution Pep Guardiola and Manchester City had to undergo - after winning back-to-back Premier Leagues in 2021 and 2022 it wasn't until Erling Haaland arrived that they took the next step and conquered Europe.
That is clearly the next mission for Arteta but, if City are to provide something of a blueprint, then he'll have to give up something he and his former Catalan boss love. Control.
Last summer Viktor Gyokeres was hailed as the missing piece of the jigsaw, following 97 goals in two years with Sporting Lisbon. Whilst the jury on him is still out, the Swede ultimately scored 21 times, but that wasn't enough to earn Arteta's faith when it came to crunch time.
In the Champions League final and the crucial game at City in April it was Havertz who led the line with Gyokeres left on the bench. Go back nearly two years and the German was cited as an elite player who made Arsenal tick, but was never going to score the goals that a Haaland, a Mohamed Salah or a Harry Kane would fire.
Julian Alvarez is among the club's transfer targets
Julian Alvarez is among the club's transfer targets(Image: Getty)
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Arteta claimed after the loss in Budapest: "We’ll start to make some very important decisions, we want to reach another level. We're going to have to show that ambition because they are more than capable of doing it but it's going to demand us to be very, very ambitious, very fast and very smart."
The rumour mill suggests Julian Alvarez is their prime target, even if the Argentine is much keener on a move to Barcelona. He's excelled during his two years at Atletico Madrid and would complement almost any side in the world.
But it would have to change the dynamics of how Arsenal play and, on those weekends where Arteta looks at his team and thinks 'we have a better grip on this fixture last year' he'll have to remember why he's made any potential change.
Jamie Carragher once remarked that Haaland "may have chosen the wrong club to get the best from himself" after one outing for City, as they wrestled between being the controlling side they were and a team that would rely on a mercurial No 9 to win them games.
Kai Havertz continued to get the nod over Viktor Gyokeres come the business end of the season
Kai Havertz continued to get the nod over Viktor Gyokeres come the business end of the season
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The Sky Sports pundit was also on the money last year when he claimed that Arteta wouldn't be able to resist turning to Havertz, who has scored 36 times during three injury-hampered years for Arsenal, when he realises his side have lost the control they once had.
He said: "I think, we all know Arsenal want to sign a striker don't we? Everyone says this striker is the answer to all their problems. I don't think that striker will be the answer to their problems - and I think whoever that striker is eventually will end up being on the bench, and Havertz will start ahead of him.
"Havertz is very important to how Mikel Arteta wants to play."
That may be so, but the question has to be posed as to whether Arsenal are get the maximum from his team as they are. Defensively he has nailed it, they're as good as anyone in Europe, but their attacking limitations are clear to see.
Alvarez, if gettable, would open up new dimensions. They've also been heavily linked with Morgan Rogers, albeit not a centre forward. Whatever their transfer activity Arteta will have to accept a change in his Arsenal side if he's truly committed to this next level he talks about.
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