A look at what Arsenal’s starting line-up might look like at the end of the transfer window.
Arsenal enter the new Premier League season as reigning champions, but also as a side who feel that they still have quite a lot of work to do in the transfer market in order to build a squad which can sustain their recent successes – and the result could be one of the most expensive transfer windows in the club’s history.
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Negotiations over a big-money deal to sign Newcastle’s Bruno Guimarães are ongoing and the Gunners are also keen to splash the cash on a new forward, especially someone who can make the wide left role their own, and their shortlist includes some exceptionally ambitious (and costly) targets.
With the new Premier League season starting in just a few weeks, we’ve decided to take a speculative peep into the future to see just what Arsenal’s starting XI might look like by the time that the transfer window is done – and if all the proposed deals come to fruition, it’s a line-up which could cost as much as £531m by our best estimates.
£34m centre-back on Arsenal’s summer shopping list
Como defender Jacobo Ramón is a potential target for Arsenal this summerplaceholder image
Como defender Jacobo Ramón is a potential target for Arsenal this summer | Getty Images
GK - David Raya (£30m): There’s little doubt that Raya will continue to be Arsenal’s number one last season, with the Spaniard a strong contender to be considered the best goalkeeper in the Premier League right now.
LB – Riccardo Calafiori (£42m): The Italian is expected to be the Gunners’ first-choice left-back again, although Myles Lewis-Skelly may apply some pressure on the role should Calafiori endure any more injury issues.
CB – Gabriel Magalhães (£27m): Like Raya, Gabriel’s place seems all but certain, especially given that William Saliba stands to miss several months of football due to a back injury.
CB – Jacobo Ramón (£34m*): Saliba’s absence has led Arsenal to search for a new centre-half – they explored a bid for John Stones before he moved to Inter Milan and showed interest in Ezri Konsa, but Aston Villa’s £60m valuation has quickly cooled any likelihood of such a deal. Rising Como star Ramón is also believed to be of interest and is expected to be available for around €40m (£34m). The Spaniard could easily be a target in the coming weeks.
RB – Jurriën Timber (£38m): Another defender whose first-team place seems assured so long as he’s fit and firing. There remains some small chance that Ben White leaves, which could precipitate a move for another right-back, but Timber is likely to remain the first choice.
Could Arsenal spend £175m on two new signings?
Arsenal are deep in negotiations with Newcastle to sign Bruno Guimarãesplaceholder image
Arsenal are deep in negotiations with Newcastle to sign Bruno Guimarães | Getty Images
CM – Declan Rice (£100m): Rice admitted to paying through hamstring pain during the World Cup and could be given some early-season rest to help him recuperate, but he’s unlikely to lose his place in the first team any time soon even if he does rotate in and out for a little while.
CM – Bruno Guimarães (£75m*): The sudden departure of Eddie Howe strongly implied that Arsenal will eventually get their hands on the Brazilian after weeks of negotiations. A compromise price of £75m has been reported by some outlets, including The Daily Mirror, but no deal had been agreed at the time of writing.
AM – Martin Ødegaard (£30m): With Mikel Merino and Eberechi Eze in the squad, Ødegaard’s place is far from assured these days. But he remains club captain and, at his best, a tremendous playmaker. This is a spot which is up for grabs, nonetheless.
LW – Bradley Barcola (£100m*): Barcola isn’t Arsenal’s primary target, but their hopes of signing Vinícius Junior from Real Madrid look rather slim and Atlético Madrid are determined to keep hold of Julián Alvarez. So in this exercise, we’ve guessed that they might pip Liverpool to the signing of Barcola, who could easily end up costing £100m or more. Nico Williams is another possible (and perhaps slightly cheaper) option. Whoever comes in, it’s likely that Arsenal’s startling line-up gets a lot more expensive when they finally land their new winger.
RW – Bukayo Saka (N/A): However much Arsenal spend on one wing, they’ll have the comfort of knowing that their other wide forward didn’t cost them a penny. Saka’s injuries may limit him over time, but for now the academy graduate remains the best right winger in the squad.
CF – Viktor Gyökeres (£55m): Gyökeres’ debut season wasn’t as explosive as Arsenal might have hoped but there were still some flashes of the free-scoring forward who scored for fun at Sporting. He’ll get another chance to prove that he’s the long-term solution at centre-forward.