Arsenal already close to signing two key summer transfer targets
Arsenal’s summer rebuilding plan is already well underway (Picture: HaytersTV) Mikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal’s plans to strengthen their squad during the summer transfer window is already well underway. The Gunners were left licking their wounds on Wednesday night after defeat against Paris Saint-Germain saw them eliminated from the Champions League. Arteta had little option but to contemplate a fifth successive season without a trophy under his stewardship, a grim reality made all the more painful by the progress in Europe made by Tottenham Manchester United and Chelsea just 48 hours later. With Liverpool having run away with the Premier League title and Newcastle ending their own long wait for tangible success, Arsenal have once again ended a season rich in promise with little to show for it. Errors of judgement in the last two transfer windows have proven costly but progress is already being made to rectify the gaping holes in a squad that is in desperate need of reinforcing. Get personalised updates on Arsenal everyday Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. To that end, according to the Independent, a deal to sign Martin Zubimendi, the Spain international midfielder, from Real Sociedad is all but complete, while Europe’s most highly-rated young goalkeeper, Joan Garcia, is said to be close to agreeing a move to north London where he would challenge David Raya for the No.1 spot. ‘If we are having those meetings now we are very late,’ Arteta said, speaking ahead of Sunday’s game against Liverpool, when asked if Arsenal had made progress on their rebuilding project. Arsenal are favourites to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad (Picture: Getty) Arsenal will surely, too, look to address the lack of a prolific goalscorer after their attacking shortcomings were again exposed against PSG. Despite generating the highest amount of xG of the four semi finalists over two legs, Arsenal scored just once, a late consolation from Bukayo Saka in 180 minutes of football. Gianluigi Donnarumma, the exceptional Italy international goalkeeper had a large role to play in keeping Arsenal at bay and Arteta doesn’t believe that one player is necessarily the solution. ‘Yeah, I would look more broadly,’ he said. ‘I think if you score over 90 goals, you have a high, high probability of winning the Premier League. Joan Garcia has been linked with a move to Arsenal this summer (Picture: Getty) ‘It doesn’t guarantee you, but you have a high probability if the defensive record is very good as well, and very dependable as well, against who and in which moment this striker, this winger in this case, has scored the goals and how many points he is contributing to those goals as well.’ ‘I have to make it more clear. In January it was clear or not? I told you, because you were in the room I think many times, I made a very clear statement, and the statement continues the same. I want the best team, the best players. ‘If we have three goalscorers over 25, bring them in, we’re going to be a much better team, yes.’ Pressed on whether recruiting an elite striker is the hardest part of recruitment, he added: ‘Probably there are, because there’s not that many who have put those numbers. Predicting who Arsenal will sign this summer Goalkeeper: With Neto’s loan move unlikely to be turned into a permanent deal, Arsenal will undoubtedly look to sign a new No.2 to provide David Raya with more competition than he has faced this season. Teenagers Jack Porter and Tommy Setford are highly regarded but are not yet ready for a major promotion which goes some way to explaining Mikel Arteta’s interest in Espanyol’s Joan Garcia. Defenders: Arsenal fans won’t want to hear it, but with Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior all likely to depart, a new left-sided defender will be a requirement, especially given the fitness travails of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Riccardo Calafiori. Midfield: Nearly two years on from Granit Xhaka’s departure, Arsenal’s engine room still lacks the sort of balance they had in abundance when the Switzerland international was paired alongside Thomas Partey. Arsenal spent £160 million on Declan Rice and Kai Havertz but the experiment of deploying the former Chelsea man in midfield was ditched long ago. Arteta still appears to believe Rice can thrive in a more advanced role and the arrival of Martin Zubimendi, whose move to north London appears to be a matter of when, rather than if, could finally complete the puzzle. Forwards: Attacking reinforcements have been in short supply over the last couple of years and an overreliance on Bukayo Saka yielded the sort of injury many feared had been in the post for a while. A new winger, ideall
Mikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal’s plans to strengthen their squad during the summer transfer window is already well underway.
The Gunners were left licking their wounds on Wednesday night after defeat against Paris Saint-Germain saw them eliminated from the Champions League.
Arteta had little option but to contemplate a fifth successive season without a trophy under his stewardship, a grim reality made all the more painful by the progress in Europe made by Tottenham Manchester United and Chelsea just 48 hours later.
With Liverpool having run away with the Premier League title and Newcastle ending their own long wait for tangible success, Arsenal have once again ended a season rich in promise with little to show for it.
Errors of judgement in the last two transfer windows have proven costly but progress is already being made to rectify the gaping holes in a squad that is in desperate need of reinforcing.
Get personalised updates on Arsenal everyday
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.
To that end, according to the Independent, a deal to sign Martin Zubimendi, the Spain international midfielder, from Real Sociedad is all but complete, while Europe’s most highly-rated young goalkeeper, Joan Garcia, is said to be close to agreeing a move to north London where he would challenge David Raya for the No.1 spot.
‘If we are having those meetings now we are very late,’ Arteta said, speaking ahead of Sunday’s game against Liverpool, when asked if Arsenal had made progress on their rebuilding project.
Arsenal will surely, too, look to address the lack of a prolific goalscorer after their attacking shortcomings were again exposed against PSG.
Despite generating the highest amount of xG of the four semi finalists over two legs, Arsenal scored just once, a late consolation from Bukayo Saka in 180 minutes of football.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, the exceptional Italy international goalkeeper had a large role to play in keeping Arsenal at bay and Arteta doesn’t believe that one player is necessarily the solution.
‘Yeah, I would look more broadly,’ he said. ‘I think if you score over 90 goals, you have a high, high probability of winning the Premier League.
‘It doesn’t guarantee you, but you have a high probability if the defensive record is very good as well, and very dependable as well, against who and in which moment this striker, this winger in this case, has scored the goals and how many points he is contributing to those goals as well.’
‘I have to make it more clear. In January it was clear or not? I told you, because you were in the room I think many times, I made a very clear statement, and the statement continues the same. I want the best team, the best players.
‘If we have three goalscorers over 25, bring them in, we’re going to be a much better team, yes.’
Pressed on whether recruiting an elite striker is the hardest part of recruitment, he added: ‘Probably there are, because there’s not that many who have put those numbers.
Predicting who Arsenal will sign this summer
Goalkeeper: With Neto’s loan move unlikely to be turned into a permanent deal, Arsenal will undoubtedly look to sign a new No.2 to provide David Raya with more competition than he has faced this season. Teenagers Jack Porter and Tommy Setford are highly regarded but are not yet ready for a major promotion which goes some way to explaining Mikel Arteta’s interest in Espanyol’s Joan Garcia.
Defenders: Arsenal fans won’t want to hear it, but with Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior all likely to depart, a new left-sided defender will be a requirement, especially given the fitness travails of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Riccardo Calafiori.
Midfield: Nearly two years on from Granit Xhaka’s departure, Arsenal’s engine room still lacks the sort of balance they had in abundance when the Switzerland international was paired alongside Thomas Partey. Arsenal spent £160 million on Declan Rice and Kai Havertz but the experiment of deploying the former Chelsea man in midfield was ditched long ago. Arteta still appears to believe Rice can thrive in a more advanced role and the arrival of Martin Zubimendi, whose move to north London appears to be a matter of when, rather than if, could finally complete the puzzle.
Forwards: Attacking reinforcements have been in short supply over the last couple of years and an overreliance on Bukayo Saka yielded the sort of injury many feared had been in the post for a while. A new winger, ideally one comfortable on both flanks, should represent a priority. Nico Williams is a long-term target while at centre forward Victor Gyokeres appears the most attainable and ready made solution to the No.9 conundrum that has existed throughout Arteta’s reign.
James Goldman | Metro Sports Editor
‘I mean, it’s something that’s in the start, there’s not that many in the Premier League, and to do that. We’ll try to improve, but certainly improve the ones that we have right now, and love the ones that we have right now.
‘It’s too easy to look elsewhere and don’t use the moment to judge players, especially. I was asked a lot of questions about certain players in this room, always in certain moments.
‘But when other players are out of form, other players that we’re discussing, I had zero questions in the last 11 months.
‘ So, it’s relative to the context, to the moment, and the narrative that you want to generate, and I understand that.’
