Mikel Arteta waving to the Arsenal crowd
Mikel Arteta waving to the Arsenal crowd
Arsenal are now closing in on a deal to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United, but they are just getting started with their summer recruitment. The Gunners are said to be very close to reaching an agreement with Newcastle, and Guimaraes will be a vital addition to the midfield, helping Mikel Arteta establish a truly elite midfield tandem between Declan Rice and Guimaraes.
The Gunners are also said to be working on a left-winger deal, and it's clear Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr is their prime target, but that is totally dependent on the Brazilian deciding not sign a new contract with Los Blancos, which remains in the balance.
But Arteta could yet sign another player amid an injury concern to start the new season.
Arsenal could move for a centre-back
William Saliba of Arsenal on the ball
William Saliba of Arsenal during the Premier League match Everton vs Arsenal at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 20th December 2025 (Photo by Alfie Cosgrove/News Images)
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal could move for a new centre-back amid concerns surrounding William Saliba to start the season. Romano told Time2Play: "Arsenal is easily set to be one of the busiest clubs in the Premier League. The reigning English champs have already bagged Christos Tzolis to replace [Leandro] Trossard on the wing, but they’re nowhere near done.
"The plan is to stack another winger onto Arteta’s squad, and they might even grab a new centre-back given Saliba’s lingering back issues."
Saliba underwent surgery on his back after the World Cup, where he exited at the semi-final stage following a defeat to Spain. The centre-back will be carefully managed by Arsenal upon his return, given the sensitive nature of the injury, and that will be a big blow for Arsenal.
Arsenal already have centre-back options
William Saliba
Stephane Mahe via Reuters
The Gunners have relied heavily on the Saliba-Gabriel Magalhaes tandem, but they will likely have to lean on others, like Cristhian Mosquera, Jurrien Timber or others to fill the void until Saliba is fully cleared to play, and we don't yet know when that will be.
Fortunately for Arteta, he typically signs defenders who can play at centre-back and full-back, so Arsenal have a wealth of defenders who can play in the middle. It's for that reason it is a surprise to see reports that Arsenal could sign a new centre-back, and it would be a big surprise to see them spend a significant fee to get one.
Another up-and-coming centre-back signing or a veteran signing for cover would make more sense, but again, any signing would likely go down badly with players like Timber, Riccardo Calafiori or Mosquera, who are not likely to start the season as starters, but all are more than capable of playing there.
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta