Arsenal closed the summer transfer window with three fewer attacking options than they had at the start — a surprising position for a club defending the Premier League title and one few would have forecast when the market opened.
There had been a clear expectation that Arsenal would push on, especially with their Big Six rivals moving aggressively to strengthen. Co-chair Josh Kroenke made that ambition plain after the title was secured in May, warning: ‘Right now there are other teams that are already trying to strengthen to come at us for next season. So we need to be aware of that.
‘We’ve already had a few conversations about different areas that we think we can improve – both on and off the pitch. We are looking forward to getting that going this summer.’
Instead, the window carried a familiar feel for supporters of a club that has too often appeared reluctant — or unable — to fully solve its striker problem.
The arrival of Viktor Gyokeres last year had finally quietened long-running calls for Arsenal to invest in an elite centre forward. This summer, though, revived memories of 2023 and 2024, when the club’s failure to secure a recognised striker — with Kai Havertz initially brought in as a midfielder — left fans both puzzled and frustrated.
Arsenal failed to land a number of leading summer targets, but the capture of Bruno Guimaraes still ranked among the standout deals of the window
Christos Tzolis arrived as a long-term wide option, although his early performances in north London have already caught the eye
Across the squad, Arsenal’s recruitment strategy produced mixed results, with some business completed impressively. The £75million deal for Bruno Guimaraes already looks astute when set against the fees paid elsewhere for midfielders, including Enzo Fernandez at £125m, Elliot Anderson at £116m and Sandro Tonali at £100m. Guimaraes is arguably superior to Tonali and cost £25m less, making that move a significant success. The concern, however, remains in attack.
Arsenal wanted Morgan Rogers, but he went to Chelsea. Vinicius Junior was the prize the Gunners wanted most, but he chose to stay at Real Madrid, some cynics arguing he used the interest to get himself a better contract.
Julian Alvarez was a more long-term target, an ultimately unrealistic one in that he had his heart set on Barcelona. It is understood Arsenal knew the chase was up last weekend.
Yet, the pursuit of a striker went beyond this. Daily Mail Sport understands assistant manager Gabriel Heinze reached out to Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez – a fellow Argentine – early last week over a potential move.
In response Inter refused to entertain any kind of deal, the attacker still having three years left on his contract. So, Arsenal were actively trying to bring a striker into the club, aware of the need for one to supplement Havertz and Gyokeres with Gabriel Jesus out the door to Barca.
In fact, Gyokeres hasn’t played a single minute in either of Arsenal’s two league matches thus far. Was that a sign from Arteta to the board? Maybe.
Arsenal were interested in Rogers, but only for a fee of around £80million. Once that had been exceeded by Chelsea, they walked away from the table. Sources claim Rogers was keen on a move and that his camp urged Arsenal to match Chelsea’s bid as the player wanted a move to the Gunners.
Arsenal also had a look at Bradley Barcola, the Paris Saint-Germain winger eventually sold to Liverpool for £123m. The Gunners weren’t convinced he was worth the money so didn’t put a bid in.
Arsenal missed out on England star Morgan Rogers after Chelsea far exceeded their vaulation of the player
Gunners assistant manager Gabriel Heinze reached out to Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez (pictured) – a fellow Argentine – early last week over a potential move
Away from Rogers and Barcola, the Arsenal frontline is more bare than before. The club have lost three forward players in Leandro Trossard, Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli (Martinelli’s move to Al-Hilal is still to be finalised, the Saudi window closing on September 6) and added one, in Christos Tzolis. Attacking midfielder Ethan Nwaneri also headed out, on loan to Borussia Dortmund.
It’s the left-wing area where the lack of options is particularly stark, Tzolis and Eberechi Eze the only two obvious candidates.
Greek winger Tzolis was earmarked as a player with a high-ceiling who would fight for a starting place, but more one for the future than right now. Eze, meanwhile, spent most of last season as an attacking midfielder. Bring the possibility of injuries into the mix, which hurt Arsenal last season, and the options thin out.
With no Martinelli, Noni Madueke is now expected to play on either wing more than last season.
Arsenal’s inability to bring in an attacker aside from Tzolis is a tough pill to swallow for a fanbase believing they would land a marquee signing in the form of either Vinicius or Alvarez. Madueke potentially filling in on the left is some fall in expectation.
It must be said, the market in which Arsenal are hunting for a forward is a highly exclusive one with very few options – and sky-high prices. That is not easy to navigate, even though sporting director Andrea Berta will now face scrutiny for his inability to land such a signing.
The biggest purchase of deadline day for Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) wasn’t a pricey forward, but the £2.9billion acquisition of baseball franchise Los Angeles Angels. How Arsenal fans would have wished for that level of ambition to be directed towards the Emirates instead.
There are positives, though, in what is still a good window for Arsenal. Ezri Konsa was a smart addition. He bolsters an already formidable backline, cementing the Gunners’ squad as the league’s best defensive unit.
The imminent departure of Gabriel Martinelli (right) means Noni Madueke is likely to have to fill in on the left wing at points this season
The signing of Ezri Konsa was a double win: Arsenal got a good player to bolster their backline, and denied several of their biggest rivals the chance to sign him
But the England man also performs another function: depriving the other Big Six clubs of signing a proven centre back. All of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea were in much more need of Konsa than Arsenal. Preventing them getting him is a boost.
Tzolis showed promising signs in the Community Shield victory over Manchester City and his man-of-the-match display against Coventry. He struggled against Villa on Monday, but that is to be expected for a player acclimatising to such a tough league.
A further victory from the window for Arsenal is their sales. For years, they have attracted attention for being poor at securing major outgoings.
The terminated contracts of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil, Nicolas Pepe and Sead Kolasinac in previous years did little to quell narratives that the Gunners are worse at selling than their rivals.
A record sale of £35m for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool back in 2017 didn’t help, either. This summer, that record is set to be broken once Martinelli’s £55m move to Al-Hilal goes through.
Overall, more than £100m has been raised through selling Jesus to Barcelona (£9m), Trossard to Besiktas (£15m), Jakub Kiwior to Porto (£15m), Fabio Vieira to Hamburg (£9m) and Christian Norgaard to Everton (£7m).
The departures of Martinelli, Jesus and Vieira, for example, take around £500k off the wage bill; that has an impact.
Arsenal have had a decent window – though ultimately missed out on the blockbuster forward addition that would have made Mikel Arteta’s men overwhelming favourites for the title
Ultimately, Arsenal have had a decent window, strengthening a solid backline and adding depth in midfield. Though the failure to add another forward to the squad feels like a missed opportunity.
This was the summer when Arsenal had the chance to go from defending champions to overwhelming favourites after finally ending a 22-year wait for the title. Instead, they have arguably finished the window with less attacking depth than previously.
Arsenal remain one of the best teams in Europe and are clear favourites to retain the title.
With Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and others all looking to close the gap, though, the margin for error will be smaller than it needed to be.
