Can we assume that Arsenal’s marquee signing at the end of this summer transfer window will be an attacking player? Following David Raya’s £27 million signing, Arsenal focused on signing Riccardo Calafiori.
Despite the challenges of convincing Bologna to sell Calafiori last weekend, the club reportedly managed to reach a deal with the Serie A side. Calafiori will join Arsenal for an initial fee of £33.7 million, with a further £4.2 million in add-ons. Following Calafiori, Mikel Merino is reportedly on his way to Arsenal as a midfielder to join Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in the Arsenal engine room. Various sources suggest that the deal for the Real Sociedad star could be in the £25 million region.
There is also discussion of Wolves custodian Dan Bentley joining, but his deal is not expected to cost more than £1 million.
Looking at the deals for Raya, Calafiori, Merino, and Bentley, the figures involved do not exceed £100 million. Upon completion of the Merino and Bentley agreements, Mikel Arteta will likely have around £100 million available for new recruits, assuming he has a transfer budget of £200 million. Interestingly, if the widely speculated sale of players like Emile Smith Rowe and Aaron Ramsdale occurs, the remaining (around £100 million) transfer kitty could potentially increase.
With at least £100 million to spend on attacking recruits, he could sign the best forward available. He might sign Victor Gyokeres (£84 million), Nico Williams (about £47 million), or Pedro Neto (£50 million).
That said, even if he does not make a blockbuster signing, he may add two forwards: a backup striker and a winger. In the end, it will all depend on what Arteta wants.
Daniel O
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Dan and Pat,
It would be nice if Arteta brought a world class player with exceptional attributes to lift the Fans off their seats.
The attacking players you have mentioned would certainly do that.
I have mention that we need an aggressive strong center forward that can break through a low block wall and get on the end of some set piece headers and hold on to the ball without getting kicked to the ground, A Drogba or Ibrahimovic style striker. Like Viktor Gyokeres or Victor Osimhen. Both strong and aggressive against the low block.
Also fast intricate play can also get through a low blocking defence with technical forwards like, Martinez, Gimenez or WIRTZ. Fast skillful and prolific in front of goal.
All can consistently (if fit) get you 20 goals a season and are World class strikers in my opinion.
Does Arteta have a budget of £200m though as the article states? I think we’re always in danger of getting a little carried away with transfer budgets. £100m here, a £100m more there etc.
There is money from last season’s CL campaign – about £78m – but that won’t cover £200m of buys this summer. Worth bearing in mind before another £100m or whatever is “spent” with nothing, so far, coming back in sales.
Even though I’m not sure it would qualify as a marquee signing, I’m hoping Eze.
BB. I forgot about Eze who is a great versitle attacker, you’re right he is also a good shout and could improve if surrounded by better players and become a future world class player, no disrespect to palace.
But we need to beat the low block as more of a priority in my opinion, seeing as we dropped points last season against low block teams. Also the strikers mentioned are at present recognised as world class strikers and consistent.
Beating the low block is definitely a difficult nut to crack as we saw last season. Quick movement of the ball and incisive passing is key to accomplishing the task. Of course as you stated a finishing touch (perhaps by a striker you mentioned) is also necessary.
Eze appears to excel in tight spaces and I believe that he would not only look better himself but also result in better movement of the ball with the players around him. MA is bound to have been studying the situation so it’ll be interesting to see what he comes up with.
low block is becoming more and more common
Arsenal fast start to PL 2022/23 was partially to do with opposition setting up open and going for the win (soft Arsenal underbelly of the past), Arsenal slow start to PL 2023/24 coincided with increasingly facing the low block
Euro 2024 saw even more low block tactics, even by the better teams, and it got very dull to watch, but what we saw was strikers were ineffective against the low block, Kane, Morata, Lukaku, Mbappe, Havertz, hardly got sniff
an some would say the low block is designed to nullify strikers by denying any space
the reason I raise is the ‘new striker’ holy grail may not be the panacea to the low block some assume it will be
“That said, even if he does not make a blockbuster signing, he may add two forwards: a backup striker and a winger. In the end, it will all depend on what Arteta wants.” – and what Arsenal can afford and actually get as well.
As we’ve seen with Calafiori (still not actually signed buy very close now apparently) there’s a leap between wanting particular players and getting them to put pen to paper.
There’s still around six weeks left before the window closes but it will be a brave club that tries to start major business in the last couple of weeks so that gives Edu about a month or so to pull off any really important signings. Tick, tock.