Arsenal may have readymade solutions for transfer targets

There has been a lot of optimism at the Emirates Stadium over the last few months, as Mikel Arteta has managed to show a clear process and philosophy on the pitch while getting results as well. The Gunners won the FA Cup and then the Community Shield to give a sense of achievement to fans, while they also managed to sign captain and talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to a new three-year contract to allay fears of him leaving the club. At the same time, the fact that they announced 55 redundancies in various club roles left a sour taste in the mouth, especially as Arsenal were the only Premier League club where the majority of the playing squad accepted pay cuts, partly in the belief that other jobs around the organization would then be protected. For the club to have given Aubameyang a new bumper contract, while also signing Willian on a lucrative deal from Chelsea, may be slightly jarring for many supporters. Nevertheless, Arteta cannot be blamed for these decisions, and in fact, the level of control he has at the club was reinforced by the recent announcement that his title was to be changed from ‘head coach’ to ‘manager’.

This means that the Spaniard will have a lot more say over transfer business than his predecessor, Unai Emery, which would then possibly mean that Arsenal’s spending for this summer is not done yet. The only arrivals so far have been the permanent transfers of Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares after their loan deals expired, as well as the addition of William Saliba following his loan spell at St-Etienne, the deal to sign Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille, and the arrival of a backup goalkeeper in Runar Alex Runarsson after Emiliano Martinez departed for Aston Villa. Arsenal have been looking for a combative defensive midfielder for a while now, with Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey reportedly their preferred choice, while Arteta also wants to bring in Houssem Aouar from Olympique Lyon to improve the team’s creativity from midfield. However, if the opening matches of the season are any indication, the club may already have players in-house who can perform those roles to a decent level.

While betting companies such as esportbetting.net may still be making the Gunners favourites to bring in those players, the aforementioned impact of the redundancies on the club’s image may slow down their spending in this window. Arteta may thus need to find internal solutions, and he has the players to do so. Mohamed Elneny has surprisingly started the first two Premier League games of the season, after being out on loan last season and seemingly having seen his Arsenal career come to an end. The Egyptian has offered calmness, control and ball-winning ability in the middle of the pitch, and if he continues this form, the club may not need to move for Partey in this window. Similarly, the likes of Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles all offer creativity in different ways, with the added bonus that all three are home-grown youngsters from the academy. Thus, it can be argued that Arteta already has the ingredients needed to meet his requirements, and they just need to be guided and developed to ensure that they can reach the standards needed by the club.