Arsenal transfer targets: After an impressive season, Arsenal will continue to flex their financial muscle in the transfer market to quickly bring quality players to the Emirates Stadium, hoping to compete squarely with Man City once again.
A crucial task for Arsenal FC is reinvesting the money they’ve earned in a way that brings the highest efficiency. Let’s take a look at the situation surrounding top Arsenal transfer targets this summer.
Arsenal FC transfer news
The 2022/23 season has put Arsenal FC in a position to continue investing in their squad in a bid to compete for titles. Their failure against Man City in the race for the Premier League title last season has been a topic for rival fans to mock the Gunners of London. They argue that the club is overly idealistic or lacks resilience in crucial stages, despite leading the standings for eight consecutive months.
However, half a loaf is indeed bread, but half-truth is not the truth. We must consider the reality that Mikel Arteta and his team made a giant leap in the 2022/23 season. From finishing in 5th place, outside the top 4, in the 2021/22 season, Arsenal has significantly challenged the dominant force of Man City throughout the last season. They ended with a second-place finish and 84 points, the highest points tally the club has achieved post-Arsene Wenger era.
Notably, Arsenal is not a fleeting phenomenon. Mikel Arteta’s squad plays coherent and philosophically clear football. The Gunners’ forces are deep and well-organized. From the head coach to the pillars of the squad, everyone is not only talented but also very young.
However, in their squad structure, the position that needs the most reinforcement is the central midfielder. This was not hard to recognize after the 2022/23 season. Therefore, they need outstanding Arsenal next signing for this position. While in positions like a striker, attacking midfielder, fullback, or center-back, coach Mikel Arteta possesses top-tier or potentially top-tier players, all of his central midfielders are aging and none of them are stars. Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey, and Jorginho are all cases in point. Therefore, both Xhaka and Partey are deemed to depart.
The importance of central midfielders in any tactical setup is vital, so to compete in the two toughest competitions, the Champions League and the Premier League, they need top-level central midfielders.
Top 4 New Arsenal transfer targets summer 2023
In contrast to previous “frugal” seasons, owner Vinai Venkatesham is ready to allocate hundreds of millions of pounds for Arteta to make Arsenal even more formidable in the upcoming season. Additionally, the Champions League ticket is the best weapon for the Gunner to attract stars this summer.
Declan Rice – Top Arsenal transfer targets
Rice is the number one Arsenal midfield target to improve their squad during the summer transfer window. And with the English star being eyed by numerous top clubs, the Gunners have already taken concrete steps to bring this midfielder to the Emirates. However, their offer of £80 million plus additional clauses was quickly rejected by West Ham United.
Despite deciding to part ways with Rice, the Hammers are still adamantly demanding £100 million for his services, and moreover, the entire fee must be paid in cash.
If Rice arrives at the Emirates to join the team, Arsenal FC would immediately gain a reliable defensive anchor. And Declan Rice will become the Arsenal record signing in club transfer history. Rice is known for his ability to block opponents’ quick counterattacks and provide stable ball distribution to the forward lines in any situation.
The experience and composure of the West Ham captain, along with the recent Europa Conference League championship, has caused Rice’s value to skyrocket. However, theoretically, it is entirely worth it.
Kai Havertz
One of the reasons Kai Havertz would fit well with Arsenal is the German forward’s versatility in his style of play. If he were to move to Arsenal, Havertz is likely to be positioned in midfield by Arteta. In recent years playing for Chelsea, Havertz himself has shown how counterproductive it has been for the Blues to force him to play as a center forward.
When he was with Bayer Leverkusen, Havertz frequently played as a “number 8” in midfield. With the “number 10” position at the Gunners firmly secured by Martin Odegaard, Havertz would provide valuable additional support. However, the Arsenal midfielder target – Kai Havertz transfer fee is not cheap.
In the future, Arteta wants variability in many situations; Havertz and Odegaard could interchange positions to create unpredictability in the middle of the park.
Jurrien Timber
In the center-back position, Mikel Arteta clearly needs a top-class player to pair perfectly with William Saliba. Jurrien Timber emerged as one of the best Arsenal FC transfer targets due to his versatility and youth (22).
Timber’s strength is his ability to play well as both a center back and a right back. His rapid maturation level has also made Timber a sought-after player. When paired with Virgil van Dijk in the Netherlands national team, the Ajax star looked much more secure.
Timber would suit Arsenal FC immediately in terms of progression and ball distribution. He is excellent on the ball and had the highest pass completion rate in the Eredivisie in the 2022-2023 campaign with Ajax Amsterdam. And in Arsenal transfer news today live done deal, Havertz has become a member of The Gunner family.
Romeo Lavia
According to The Times, the Gunners are ready to move on to the next Arsenal transfer targets after completing the deal with Declan Rice. However, this depends on whether they can sell Balogun sooner or later, and for how much.
After almost giving up on Moises Caicedo, the London club is focusing on Southampton’s Romeo Lavia – a team just relegated along with Leeds and Leicester. Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea have all expressed interest in Lavia. The Ecuadorian star was once priced at £80 million when Chelsea inquired, but now that Southampton is relegated, the figure is sure to drop significantly.
Lavia is just 19 years old and has ample time to gain experience and develop his talent. Arteta is very good at this, and he needs people like Lavia to form the next generation if he wants to go the distance with Arsenal.
They will definitely not only stop at these latest Arsenal transfer targets but also aim for many more stars in Europe at this time. Arteta understands that the Gunners can still compete for the championship with Man City in the Premier League and make progress in the Champions League.
Sum Up
Last season’s runners-up position proved that Arteta is on the right track with the plans he is implementing for Arsenal. As a result, he understands that the club needs even stronger reinforcements in this summer’s transfer window to be competitive in the Champions League and the Premier League, where the goal is no longer just to make the top positions.
The summer 2023 transfer window is clearly an opportunity that the London Gunners need to seize in order to upgrade the squad and set the ambition to return to the top of English football after a 20-year wait since the unbeatable achievement in the 2003/04 season. Keep following Transfer In Football for more information about all Arsenal transfer targets this summer as well as the latest football transfer news.
