Arsenal finished the summer transfer window as Premier League champions, but the high expectations of their fans were not fully met.
The club aimed to capitalize on their golden opportunity after winning the title and seeing several of their rivals weakened, with more than 20 potential targets on their list.
The biggest signing was Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United for around £75 million.
The Brazilian midfielder was one of manager Mikel Arteta’s top priorities, while sporting director Andrea Berta managed to speed up negotiations after alternatives such as Sandro Tonali, Alex Scott and Amadou Onana proved more difficult to secure.
In defence, Arsenal secured the services of Ezri Konsa for £51 million, with a further £4 million in add-ons. The Aston Villa defender was Arteta’s first choice for the defensive line, mainly because of his Premier League experience and his ability to also play as a right-back.
In attack, however, the club failed to land their primary target. Arsenal had set their sights on Morgan Rogers, but Aston Villa raised their asking price to £120 million following Elliot Anderson’s move to Manchester City.
Chelsea subsequently signed Rogers for £117 million, while Arsenal refused to match the offer, valuing the player at around £80 million.
Attempts to sign Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez also ended unsuccessfully. Vinicius decided to renew his contract with Real Madrid, while Alvarez preferred to remain at Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal had also explored alternatives such as Bradley Barcola, Kenan Yildiz and Nico Paz, but none of those deals materialized.
Financially, Arsenal made significant progress in selling players. Gabriel Martinelli joined Al-Hilal for £60 million, becoming the most expensive sale in the club’s history.
Overall, the departures of Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, Christian Norgaard, Jakub Kiwior, Fabio Vieira and Karl Hein brought the club around £114 million.
However, despite investing close to £450 million over the past 12 months, Arsenal still have major question marks over their attacking options.
Guimaraes and Konsa bring quality and experience, but their age has sparked discussions about how the club will rebuild and refresh the squad in the years ahead.
Now it remains to be seen whether Arsenal have built a squad capable of dominating the Premier League for a sustained period, or whether the absence of an elite striker will prove costly in their pursuit of trophies.
