Arsenal should have two or three clear priorities in the transfer window this summer.
New sporting director Andrea Berta has been brought in to oversee a summer of unprecedented spending at Arsenal, at least fans hope that will be the case.
The Gunners do have money to spend and Mikel Arteta has been crying out for one or two additions for some time now.
Of course, the obvious signing is still a new striker — Arteta has still only bought two since he arrived at the club in 2019.
And in addition to a number nine, Arsenal also need a new defensive midfielder and perhaps even an elite left winger, it’s going to be an important summer.
However, just days into the window, Arsenal are already on the verge of a big mistake if fresh reports are to be believed.
Arsenal are getting it wrong by signing Konstantinos Karetsas
According to reports, Arsenal are ‘very close’ to signing Konstantinos Karetsas from Belgian side Genk.
At 17-years-old, Karetsas is an extraordinary talent, the kind of player who should definitely be of interest to a club like Arsenal.
However, the Gunners are not currently in a position in which they should be spending £38m on a youngster with a view to the long-term.
Photo by Isosport/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Isosport/MB Media/Getty Images
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Arsenal need to prioritise players to immediately improve their starting eleven — it’s time for Arteta to start winning trophies.
Right now, the Gunners should be putting their entire focus into securing a deal for a striker whilst they wait to finalise a move for Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi.
And it should also be pointed out that Arsenal are well-stocked in Karetsas’ position anyway, a youngster who thrives as a number 10 or out on the right wing.
Ethan Nwaneri has a very similar positional profile and the Gunners even have Max Dowman coming through the Hale End academy too, it’s simply not a signing Arsenal need to make.
Andrea Berta should focus on signing a striker for Arsenal
Signing the world’s best emerging talent will still be important for Arsenal over the coming seasons — it’s how they’ll sustain their success.
However, this summer should be all about winning now, a mantra Berta was supposed to have arrived at Arsenal with.
It was believed that Berta was pushing Arsenal to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP for that exact reason, so spending so much on Karetsas doesn’t make sense.
Perhaps Arsenal would be aiming to strike a clever deal spreading payments across a number of years, but it’s still a move that shouldn’t be a priority right now.
Without going over the top, it’s a pivotal summer for Arteta, for Arsenal, and perhaps even for Berta even though he’s only just arrived.
And Arsenal should be signing players like Benjamin Sesko or Gyokeres, not 17-year-olds, even if they have all the potential in the world.