Arsenal need to make up for lost time after a disappointingly slow start to the summer transfer window.
Julian Alvarez #9 of Argentina celebrates after the 3-1 victory during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium on July 11, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri
Julian Alvarez has been linked with a move to Arsenal(Image: Photo by Michael Regan - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
View 4 Images
Arsenal have plenty of work to do before the transfer window slams shut at the start of next month...
Despite ambitions to leap out of the gates and lay down a marker ahead of the new Premier League season, the Gunners had a disappointingly slow start to the summer. Until August, Andrea Berta had only managed to activate the option to keep Piero Hincapie permanently, sign Illan Meslier from Leeds United on a free transfer, and prise Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge.
The sporting director appears to have since cracked open his piggy bank, with Bruno Guimaraes set to become the first marquee signing of the summer. Mikel Arteta wants to make up for lost time, insisting he and Berta 'won’t sit still'.
Earlier this month, following a pre-season friendly win over Girona, the Gunners boss said: "We are really active, trying to improve and evolve the team. That’s clear. We expect to have movements in the next three weeks, obviously, because we want to get better like anybody else.
"You can just see the transfer market and what our opponents are doing. We won’t sit still. We are very ambitious in where we want to go."
On why there is a need to upgrade, Arteta added: "Because the margins are very small and if you want to get better when the level is going to increase, we need to increase the competition internally.
"We need to make sure we identify the things we don’t have in the team to have bigger margins. That’s the way we have to think. I think we have even more responsibility and ambition than before.
Mikel Arteta watched his side beaten by Real Betis in their third pre-season friendly
Mikel Arteta watched his side beaten by Real Betis in their third pre-season friendly(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
View 4 Images
"We know what is ahead. We know the qualities and the capacity that we have to compete with any other teams. We need to prove that we belong at this level now."
So, with that being said, football.london has looked at what Arsenal need to do before the transfer window slams shut at 11pm on Tuesday, September 1.
Arsenal break the bank
Once Guimaraes puts pen to paper on a long-term contract with Arsenal, Berta needs to do whatever it takes to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid and Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain. If the Gunners plan to truly compete on all fronts, defending the Premier League title and winning the Champions League, Arteta will need to add two top forwards to his frontline.
Arsenal also need to draft in a deputy to Gabriel Magalhaes at left centre-half. In an ideal world, Berta signs a left-footed defender to fill the void and shoulder some of the workload, but Ezri Konsa would be a more than suitable option for the time being.
Although right-footed, the Aston Villa star has played there, among other positions across the backline, in the past. More importantly, Konsa's versatility makes him available at right centre-half and right-back, too.
Noni Madueke, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka all played for England at the World Cup
Noni Madueke, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka all played for England at the World Cup(Image: MB Media/Getty Images)
View 4 Images
Berta trims Arsenal squad
Before the transfer window closes, Berta needs to find a hospitable loan for Ethan Nwaneri. Although the 19-year-old midfielder still has a lot to offer at the Emirates Stadium, it's unlikely he'll get the minutes on the pitch that he deserves and, more importantly, needs to develop.
The Arsenal sporting director then needs to offload some fairly big earners who have little to no future at the club. Fortunately for Berta, it shouldn't be too difficult to find new clubs for Fabio Vieira, who's linked with a return to Hamburg, or Gabriel Jesus.
Gabriel Jesus.
Gabriel Jesus has been linked with a move to the Serie A(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images For Premier League)
View 4 Images
To be loaned: Ethan Nwaneri.
To be sold: Reiss Nelson, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Fabio Vieira, Gabriel Jesus.
Arteta builds dream squad
If Berta can follow up the arrival of Guimaraes with a good deputy to Gabriel at left centre-half, a top left-winger, and a world-class striker, Arteta will have all the tools to compete on all fronts. So, with that being said, football.london has looked at what the dream Arsenal 25-man squad could look like this season:
Goalkeepers
David Raya, Illan Meslier, Tommy Setford (Under-21 List).
Defenders
Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie, William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ezri Konsa (from Aston Villa), Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Marli Salmon (Under-21 List).
Midfielders
Declan Rice, Bruno Guimaraes (from Newcastle United), Martin Zubimendi, Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Wingers
Bukayo Saka, Bradley Barcola (from Paris Saint-Germain), Christos Tzolis, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, Eberechi Eze, Max Dowman (Under-21 List).
Strikers
Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz, Julian Alvarez (from Atletico Madrid).