Arsenal transfers: What does the Gunners' summer look like as Mikel Arteta looks to end trophy drought?
Arsenal have finished second in the Premier League once again - but how do they make the last step? Arsenal chief Josh Kroenke revealed plans to invest while Mikel Arteta said he has goosebumps about their plans - but what are they?
Monday 26 May 2025 08:53, UK
Mikel Arteta was asked when planning starts for next season. "Now. Immediately." And then came a big line: "And the moment I start to think about that, I feel goosebumps and excitement."
This season has finished for Arsenal, resulting in another second place finish and more feelings of 'what if?'.
But as Arteta sat in the bowels of Southampton's St Mary's Stadium, the Arsenal manager opted not to reflect, but to look forward to the summer months ahead - and those exciting times.
- Live Premier League table | Watch PL highlights for free
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺
- 80% of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports
"Tomorrow we already have some things that we are discussing and making decisions," he said.
"Everything that is planned for pre-season and the first few weeks of the season is already done two, three months ago. So we are now really good.
"From tomorrow, my day will look already different. There are a lot of things to do, but it won't be, especially with that feeling in my tummy, that [feeling of] a game is coming up. It will be a different one and that changes everything."
It is not the only statement of intent from the Arsenal hierarchy. Co-chairman Josh Kroenke - who watched the Southampton finale next to Arteta in the stands due to a touchline ban for the Arsenal manager - spoke about his team's window in some programme notes ahead of the victory over Newcastle which clinched Champions League football again.
"We all want to win it," Kroenke said about finishing second place in the Premier League in a row. "We plan to invest to get behind winning and doing better next season.
"Ultimately, we all want the same thing. We're as hungry for success as you are and that goes for everyone who works for the club."
That Emirates evening ended with an emotional speech by Mikel Arteta to the Emirates crowd. "Make sure chasing a dream doesn't get blurry and you can see what these players are doing," he said.
"Take this dream with enthusiasm. There's much more to come."
Success is possible in the building. Arsenal's Women's team lifted the Champions League and Arteta spoke about the inspiration of that being able to spur them on.
So how do Arsenal's men's team make their dream happen - and what are those goosebump moments?
Numbers needed
Much of the focus is on the arrival of a striker who could take Arsenal to the next level but Arteta stressed the need for numbers as well as quality in his press conference.
Kieran Tierney and Jorginho waved goodbye to Arsenal fans on the south coast, with the pair are expected to join Celtic and Flamengo respectively this summer. There is also uncertainty over Thomas Partey, who is also in the final months of his contract.
Partey may be offered new terms but two players who won't be retained are Raheem Sterling and Neto, who will return to Chelsea and Bournemouth following their loan spells. Sterling was even the subject of light-hearted chants from the Arsenal end at Southampton referencing his lack of goals.
Interestingly, though, Arteta described his squad as "really short" even before mentioning those imminent departures.
"Obviously, we need players because the squad is really short," he said. "And on top of that, we are losing four or five players who end their contracts and the loans are finished.
"So we need to be sharp and, again, very disciplined in what we want to do and make sure that we are strong in the season."
Arsenal only have 22 players officially listed in their first-team squad and that number is set to drop to 18 with the departures of Tierney, Jorginho, Sterling and Neto.
There are question marks over others, too, with Oleksandr Zinchenko, for example, having fallen out of favour and Takehiro Tomiyasu a long-term injury absentee.
There is a need for support across the board, starting in goal, where their only options beyond David Raya are young players such as Tommy Setford.
The defence is probably the best-stocked area but they may need more numbers there, especially if Zinchenko follows Tierney through the exit door, despite the rise of Myles Lewis-Skelly. A busy summer lies ahead for the club's negotiators.
And then it's about quality
Numbers are not Arsenal's sole requirement. Like every team, they will look to raise the level of their squad. Part of that final step is getting more players who can turn them into winners.
"It's not easy to find world-class players who can take them up that extra level," said Gary Neville after the Newcastle game. "But they have to find them because if they don't, they'll be letting the club down, the fans down, themselves down.
"I think it's pretty obvious where they need to strengthen: in midfield and attack."
Midfield is a question that is nearly answered. Arsenal are close to replacing Jorginho with Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi.
An ageing experienced player is being replaced by one in his prime - and it could see the Gunners bring in a midfielder capable of monitoring the defensive side of midfield on his own, without the help of an inverted full-back - or others dropping deep to support.
That would then allow the likes of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice to gain more freedom and authority in attack. But that attack still needs strengthening.
"The manager needs arming with a couple of really good forwards," said Neville. "If he gets that they've got a real chance."
One area is obvious - the centre forward role. Arsenal scored 88 and 91 goals in the two seasons before this one, and are now on 67 with one game to play.
The power of a top-class central striker was not just seen in Arsenal's team on Sunday, but also in Newcastle's. Alexander Isak's absence demonstrated how Newcastle went from a team destined for the Champions League to one below the standard required.
Isak may prove to be too expensive or difficult to get out of a high-achieving, money-laden club like Newcastle. But Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko - while less experienced - have serious reputations and scoring records in Europe and may be the answer.
The other forward position comes out wide. Arsenal need to find a player to match Bukayo Saka's output on the opposite flank. The Gunners have a decision to make on Leandro Trossard, who has one year left on his contract and will begin next season as a 31-year-old, while Sterling's loan will almost certainly not be renewed.
There is interest in Athletic Club's Nico Williams, who like Zubimendi has history of getting over the line with Spain at Euro 2024.
"They have a really good methodology of play but there's a little bit of spark, penetration, bite that's missing," said Neville.
That spark could come from new sporting director Andrea Berta, whose appointment screams a 'win now' mentality from the Gunners.
Remember, Kroenke's quotes? "We plan to invest to get behind winning and doing better next season." Kroenke then followed it up by saying: "We're delighted we have our sporting director Andrea, who will play an important role in this."
Remember what you've already got
Another interesting analysis from Arteta over the last few weeks was about the positives of the season.
Since the Champions League loss to PSG, a lot of the talk surrounded the pressure the Arsenal manager was under after five straight seasons without a trophy - and even that remains. "He's got to be in the top two by Christmas or they'll go for someone else," said Paul Merson this month.
But Arteta has been bullish in demonstrating how Arsenal's season could have been very different - in a negative way. "Make sure we still value the incredible things this team is doing, the way we are competing, and the consistency we are showing," he said. "If we don't do that, that's a dangerous thing to do."
Against Southampton, the message was similar. He spoke of the importance of "understanding what has taken us that far, because there is not much more to do apart from winning now."
The reason why Arteta believes this is because of the way injuries have destabilised other teams - and led to much more catastrophic seasons than Premier League runners-up and Champions League semi-finalists.
"I know what we've been through for nine and a half months," said Arteta after the win over Newcastle. "I know what we've done.
"I know very well the history of the Premier League and the teams that have been in 30% of the situations that we've been in - they have collapsed, completely collapsed, and we haven't."
One of those situations is injuries. Arsenal rank highly in the injury table this season, according to Opta. Only Brighton have had a worse record.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Arteta said this month: "Any other team - and I've seen it with one injury to finishing eighth, fifth, 16th, 17th."
But now it's time for Arteta to turn the excuses, or explanations, as the Arsenal manager puts it, to bed next season.
"What you can't have with Arsenal next season is any excuses," said Neville. "Saliba got injured. Gabriel got injured. We know they're going to get injured and they're going to miss games.
"What they can't do at the end of this six-to-seven-year journey with Arteta is be a team that hasn't won. They have to make it a team that wins now. It's intriguing already for next season."
Kroenke's backing crucial
"That's not something new," said Arteta when asked about Josh Kroenke's promise to invest in the team this summer in his post-Newcastle press conference.
"I think they always back the team and the club in the best possible way and it's not going to be different in the summer."
The Arsenal boss has a strong relationship with the club's owners and clearly has no doubts about their willingness to back him. Instead, he preferred to focus on the importance of getting their business right.
"We have to be very smart with the decisions that we take," he said. "The plan is done and the time will be dictated by many parties, many circumstances that unfortunately we don't control.
"But we have great people in charge of that and they're going to be leading that with the board and ownership.
"As well as that, we have to make sure that the players we have feel valued and feel loved. Make sure that they want to continue with us in the right manner."
In addition to bringing in new players this summer, Arsenal have contract talks to tie up too, with key players William Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Magalhaes entering the final two years of their current deals.
There is a decision to be made on Gabriel Martinelli, too, given the winger is in the same situation with two years left on his contract, on top of the Trossard situation, with his deal expiring next year.
