Just as you thought Arsenal’s start to the summer was quiet, they have roared into life over the last fortnight to welcome in a batch of new acquisitions.
Kepa Arrizabalaga has signed from Chelsea (yes, another one), Christian Norgaard has arrived from Brentford and the headline addition so far has been £55m Martin Zubimendi.
The trio have already got to work during the club’s warm weather training camp in La Manga and it’s not long now until the Gunners head to Asia, more specifically Singapore, for their pre-season tour on July 19th.
Before then, Mikel Arteta will hope for more new faces. Here’s the latest on that.
Arsenal's summer transfer window: the latest
This could be a busy old week for Andrea Berta and Co as he aims to bring in a few more fresh signings before that trip to Singapore.
The first is set to be Noni Madueke. Whether you like it or not, the Chelsea winger is due to be announced as an Arsenal player this week after undergoing a medical this weekend.
According to Henry Winter, he looks set be followed through the door by Valencia centre-half Cristhian Mosquera. A deal had gone quiet over recent weeks, but the journalist shared that things should be wrapped up soon.
And then there’s the centre-forward, the elusive striker. Will Viktor Gyokeres finally head to the Gunners?
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Well, things are becoming rather toxic between him and Sporting at the moment. The Swede has regularly told his club that he will never play for them again and has made it clear he won’t attend pre-season training.
Sporting president Frederico Varandas, has since hit back at the striker, saying: “If they [Arsenal] don’t want to pay Viktor’s fair market value, we’re very comfortable with that for the next three years. This strategy is also making it more complicated for the player to leave. Nobody is above the interests of the club. Whoever they are. We’re calm. Everything will be resolved with the market closing, a hefty fine and an apology to the group.”
Sky Sports reports that the Portuguese giants are looking for around £69m, add-ons included. Despite the war of words here, the former Coventry star is still confident of getting his move, so much so that he expects to be in London this week.
That’s according to journalist Graeme Bailey, who said: “Gyokeres considers his Sporting career over, having agreed personal terms with Arsenal. Sources have also told me that he hopes to be in England early next week to complete his move.”
The impact Viktor Gyokeres could have at Arsenal
In recent years, it’s safe to say that Arsenal haven’t exactly got their squad building 100% nailed on.
They’ve signed good players, of course, but since Arteta became Arsenal boss, he has only signed six attackers; Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Willian and Marquinhos.
It’s hardly an illustrious list of names and therefore, the signing of Gyokeres could transform this Arsenal side.
Let’s cast our minds back two years a moment. In the same week of the 2023 summer window, Declan Rice was putting pen to paper on a club-record £105m move at the Emirates Stadium and Gyokeres was completing his switch from Coventry to Sporting.
Since then, the duo have become two of the best players on the continent. Rice has totally transformed this Arsenal team and it was his performances that propelled them towards the Champions League semi-finals.
No one will forget that night in north London when Arsenal hit three past Real Madrid. Rice was the hero, scoring two stunning free-kicks. It felt like his transfer fee had been paid back in one night, if it hadn’t already.
Rice went on to dazzle in the Bernabeu too, with Rio Ferdinand noting that the England international “stood up against the holders of this trophy” and “ran the show in both games”. The former defender exclaimed that the midfielder has now “put himself in another bracket.”
Well, if Rice was one piece of the puzzle that was missing, then Gyokeres could be the final piece that completes the jigsaw. He could be the Rice-like signing that catapults this Arsenal team to greater things, and by greater things, we mean finally winning a trophy.
Arteta may have the FA Cup to show for his efforts, but the Premier League and Champions League continue to elude him.
Rice has now taken Arsenal close but Gyokeres could help across the finish line. Why? Well, he’s one of, if not the best centre-forwards in Europe right now.
2020/21
34
5
1
2021/22
47
18
5
2022/23
50
22
12
2023/24
50
43
15
2024/25
52
54
13
Forget Alexander Isak, forget Erling Haaland, what the Swedish powerhouse has done over the last two years is nothing short of remarkable.
In 2023/24, the striker bagged 43 goals in 50 outings and went even better throughout the latest campaign, netting a stunning haul of 54 goals in 52 appearances.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that that tally is pretty damn good, and considering how Arsenal struggled in offensive areas of the pitch last season, he could be game-changing.
Arteta’s side didn’t lack creativity. No player registered more expected assists per 90 minutes in the Premier League than Bukayo Saka in 2024/25. As a club, they had the sixth-highest number of shots in the division and produced the fifth-most key passes.
However, despite that, they found it difficult to put the ball in the net. For the first time since 1923/24, the Gunners failed to find a player who scored double figures in the league.
As a result, signing a man who has scored 97 goals at club level over the last two campaigns ought to fix the problem.
Gyokeres might not be a club-record move like Rice was but his impact on the field of play is likely to be just as significant. Dare we smell another Arsenal title charge? Time will tell.
Eze's dream CF: Arsenal in talks to sign £69m "monster" & it's not Gyokeres
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