via Reuters
Arsenal have missed the chance to bridge the gap on the very best teams in the world.
The Gunners had two clear priorities coming into this window, with Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta dead set on signing an elite midfielder and an elite left-winger. As far as the midfielder goes, Arsenal could perhaps have gotten away with not signing one, but they were over-reliant on Declan Rice last season, and against teams like PSG, who have two elite pivots, they saw their midfield dominated.
There are ways around that issue tactically, but in Arteta's system, the best option was to have an elite signing come in to play alongside Rice, and one was found in Bruno Guimaraes.
Arsenal spent £75million to bring in the experienced Premier League midfielder, and half of the club's summer priority list was checked off, while Leandro Trossard was sufficiently replaced by Christos Tzolis, who looks to be a real talent.
But the wait went on for a left-winger, especially after Chelsea paid £117million to sign Morgan Rogers despite the Gunners holding positive talks over a deal. Arsenal decided they did not want to spend that kind of money on the England international, so they dropped out of the race.
Arsenal 2026/27 summer signings
Bruno Guimaraes
Ezri Konsa
Christos Tzolis
Piero Hincapie
Illan Meslier
They then hoped to sign Vinicius Jr from Real Madrid amid stuttering contract talks between the two, but the Brazilian always preferred the option of a stay, and he got his money in the form of a new deal, ruling out a move to North London.
Lyon star Malick Fofana was of interest, but he was deemed too expensive, and while promising, he is not close to being the elite winger Arsenal were hoping to sign this summer. To make matters a little more pressing, Gabriel Martinelli agreed to head to Saudi Arabia, meaning the left-wing position is now arguably weaker than last season, albeit Tzolis looks to be an upgrade on Trossard, but there are less options.
Arsenal Premier League Fixture List
In the final days and hours of the window, it appears as though Arsenal's plan was to sit and hope that Julian Alvarez, who has already won almost everything in England, would change his mind and consider a move to the Emirates Stadium. But the Argentine only ever wanted to join Barcelona, and while it wasn't impossible that he changed his mind amid upheaval over his push to leave Atletico Madrid, it certainly wasn't likely.
And so Arsenal were left with no left-winger, and to rub salt in their wounds, not only did Chelsea sign Rogers, but Liverpool snapped up Bradley Barcola from PSG for £124million including add-ons. So, while players like Vinicius Jr and Alvarez may always have been out of reach, there is no doubting that the Gunners could have found themselves a top forward for £130million, be it Rogers or Barcola, it was just a question of them feeling as though they were getting value for money.
But the result is the Gunners still having an incomplete front line, and that proved an issue against the top teams in Europe last season. Whether Arteta gets away with it the Premier League will likely depend on whether Manchester City live up to the billing after their big spending, which also saw them land Enzo Fernandez on deadline day. But in the Champions League, it's hard to say Arsenal are any closer to truly competing with PSG or Bayern Munich, even with the Guimaraes signing.
REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
Their midfield should compete well, but up top, they still don't compete with the best. Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz are world-class players, but they are not among the true elite, so they require two truly elite wingers alongside them. While Bukayo Saka is close, he is not Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who can seemingly win a game with a moment of brilliance at any time, and Tzolis is a clear talent, but Arsenal don't have a player close to being truly elite on the left.
Arsenal were right not to settle for anything less than elite, but they found themselves in a unique position where they could have effectively completed their squad, able to pull off a huge-money deal to get the kind of player they needed on the left. But they have missed the opportunity, and they may not be in that position again amid the potential for some top players being lured away in future windows.
Malick Fofana in action for Lyon
Malick Fofana in action for Lyon