Arteta was appointed as Gunner’s head coach in December of 2019 to bring Arsenal back to its glory days. Two and half years later, no one could identify the improvement. However, the club hierarchies still have trust in the Spanish coach. After the end of the Arsene Wenger era, Arsenal failed to secure a Champions League spot. Last time, they were so close nonetheless a couple of blunders at the end of the season saw the other London club, Tottenham Hotspur took the full advantage and secure the top 4 finish. Therefore, the Gunners have to play in the Europa League this season.
Arteta’s mission is to win titles regularly and guide his team to the most coveted competition on the continent. The club backed him in the transfer window and Arsenal does tremendously good so far. Here, we’ll take a look at the summer business of Arsenal so far.
Incomings:
Gabriel Jesus:
The Brazilian striker and the manager had their history when Mikel was at Manchester City. He knows the player well and after forcing their premium striker Aubameyang out of the club last winter transfer window, he needs a pure No. 9. Alexandre Lacazette also left the club after seeing his contract expire this summer. A couple of clubs were there with interest in the former Man City forward, however, it’s Arsenal who secures the service. Jesus showed his capability at Etihad but failed to live up to the expectations which means he has something to prove too. Arsenal paid €45 million plus add-ons for Jesus and he’ll be at Emirates till 2027.
Fabio Viera:
Arteta feels the need for a young & exciting midfielder to give support to the new captain Martin Odegaard. The club fulfilled his wish by signing Fabio Viera from Porto for a reported fee of €30 million plus €4 million on add-ons. The player signed a five-year contract which will expire in 2027. The 22year old midfielder won the player of the tournament award in last year’s Euro U-21 competition. For Porto, he scored six goals from just 14 matches. The Portuguese attacking midfielder will surely bolster Arteta’s midfield power.
Oleksandr Zinchenko:
The Ukrainian wing-back wants more minutes though he was happy to play under Pep Guardiola. The presence of Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker means he had little time to play. On the contrary, the Spanish coach who knows Zinchenko well as they worked together at Etihad needs a proven player. Therefore, he dives for the player and the transfer suits all the parties as Pep intends to sign Marc Cucurella. He’s the latest arrival at Emirates who costs the North London club €32 million. €30 million in direct transfer fee plus €2 million in add-ons. He has signed a deal till 2026.
Matt Turner:
Arsenal signed the American goalkeeper from New England Revolution. The fee is undisclosed. The fascinating goalie will be the deputy of Aaron Ramsdale.
Marquinhos:
Arsenal signed promising Brazilian striker Marquinhos from Sao Paolo. The fee is undisclosed in this case too. Signing these two youthful players proves the vision of the coach and the club’s authority.
After completing the signing of five players so far, the club isn’t done yet. They have some other footballers on their radar too. Youri Tielemens is a long-term target of the manager while they have closely monitored the situation of Moussa Dembele and Lucas Paqueta also. Marco Asensio is another star name on their radar. They’ll certainly sign at least 1 or 2 more players before closing the transfer window.
Contract extension:
Eddie Nketiah:
Arsenal has extended Eddie Nketiah’s contract till 2026 and handed him the club legend Thiery Henry’s iconic No. 14 shirt.
Mohamed Elneny:
The club has lengthened Elneny’s contract for one more year to keep him at Emirates till 2023.
Bukayo Saka:
Bukayo Saka’s amazing display last season gave Gunners fans the hope of finishing the league in the top 4. They failed to do so nevertheless the English prodigy proved himself already and he has suitors across Europe. The club is keen to tie him down for a long period and according to reports, talks are ongoing between the club and the player’s agent. A positive outcome will come, sources expressed.
Departures:
Arteta needs to remove the deadwood and he proved his authoritative attitude after selling the Gabonese striker Aubameyang. Lacazette left the club this summer for free to his former club Lyon. They have already sold Matteo Guendouzi to Marseille for €10m. Plenty of other players are linked to an exit from the club. They’re Granit Xaka, Nuno Travers, Nicolas Pepe, Kieren Tierney, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Pablo Mari, and Lucas Torreira.
