Arsenal in good shape ahead of 2023/24 season but more business to be done

Arsenal look to be in excellent shape heading into the new Premier League season and Mikel Arteta will be quietly confident of mounting another sustained push for the title.

The Gunners surprised many by being Manchester City’s closest rivals last season. They led the Premier League for 248 days before slipping to second after a disastrous run of form in April ended their title charge. However, there were plenty of positives from the season and Arsenal chiefs have taken the opportunity to try and push on to establish the club as a serious force again.

Arsenal have spent heavily this summer to further strengthen their squad. The marquee signing has undoubtedly been the £105m capture of Declan Rice from West Ham. The Gunners beat off competition from Man City to sign the England international and he should prove to be a superb addition to Arteta’s squad. Kai Havertz has also arrived in a £60m deal from Chelsea while Jurrien Timber has been signed from Ajax to reinforce the defence.

The Gunners have looked good in pre-season with some impressive wins on their US tour. A 5-3 victory over La Liga champions Barcelona was a particular highlight. Fans are flocking to Seatsnet.com to buy tickets for their opening match of the campaign against Nottingham Forest on August 12th, anticipating another exciting season lies ahead for the North Londoners.

However, Arteta has indicated he isn’t done in the transfer market just yet. Despite spending over £200m, the Spaniard wants further new recruits to bolster his squad as he prepares to compete on all fronts domestically and in Europe after they booked their return to the Champions League. Arsenal need to sell before they can buy, so there should be plenty of outgoings over the coming weeks. Here is the latest transfer rumours involving Arsenal:

Bitello close

Arsenal are reportedly close to agreeing a deal to sign highly-rated Gremio midfielder Bitello. The Gunners are in talks with the Brazilian outfit and are confident a £9m deal will be signed-off soon. The likes of Monaco, Porto and Zenit St Petersberg are also interested in Bitello, but Arsenal are leading the race and are expected to land the South American.

Bitello is a versatile midfielder who can play in several positions, so he’d be another useful addition to Arteta’s squad. The 23-year-old is coming into the best years of his career and is known for his excellent passing skills and dribbling ability. The Brazilian would likely compete for the No.8 position at Arsenal if he moves to the Emirates Stadium this summer.

Kudus on the radar

Another player heavily linked with a move to Arsenal is Mohammed Kudus. The Ajax attacker has attracted interest from several Premier League clubs after his impressive form at Ajax. The 22-year-old scored 19 goals and provided 8 assists last season, mainly from the right wing – although he’s also comfortable playing up front.

Kudus would be signed as competition for Bukayo Saka and the Ghanaian international has a big future ahead of him. He’s valued at around £40m, so he wouldn’t break the bank, but Arsenal face competition from Chelsea and Manchester United for his signature this summer.

Lavia still on the radar

Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Romeo Lavia’s situation at Southampton. If Thomas Partey completes a proposed move to Saudi Arabia, then Arteta will need to bring in a replacement for Lavia has been identified as a serious target. The Gunners have held talks with Southampton but any deal will cost around £50m – so he won’t come cheap.

Not only that, but Arsenal face stiff competition as Liverpool are pushing to get a deal agreed. The Merseysiders have tabled a second offer worth around £40m after seeing an opening £35m bid rejected, so Arsenal will need to act fast if they want to land the 19-year-old defensive midfielder.

Veiga backup

If Partey leaves and Lavia heads to Liverpool, then Arsenal have lined-up Gabri Veiga as a backup option in midfield. The Spanish international is highly-rated in his homeland after staring for Celta Vigo in recent years. The 21-year-old has a £34m release clause so Arsenal know they could get a deal done relatively swiftly if they decide to formalise their interest. And Veiga would represent a cheaper option than Lavia.

However, there are a number of other clubs showing an interest, namely Manchester City with the Premier League champions eyeing a move for Veiga. The Spaniard is more attack-minded than Lavia, so he may actually be viewed as an alternative to Bitello.

Balogun out?

In order to be able to afford any more big-money signings, Arsenal need to sell players and Folarin Balogun is arguably their most sellable asset right now. The US international enjoyed an excellent season on loan in Ligue 1 last year where he scored 22 goals. He’s made it clear he wants to be playing regular first team football next season, and that’s not going to be easy to find at Arsenal.

Gabriel Jesus is Arteta’s No.1 striker with Eddie Nketiah acting as back-up, so Balogun will find regular action hard to come by in North London. Arsenal are reportedly willing to cash-in but they want around £50m for the 21-year-old. Several clubs in France and Italy are showing an interest, with Inter Milan reportedly failing with an opening £30m bid.

Nuno Tavares to leave

The Portuguese full-back enjoyed a season on loan at Marseille last term having fallen out of favour under Arteta. Tavares is now expected to leave but the Gunners want up to £15m for his signature. No interested suitor has tabled a suitable offer yet, but clubs in France, Spain and Italy are keeping an eye on the situation and Tavares is expected to depart next month.

Pepe to Saudi Arabia

Nicolas Pepe could be the latest player to head to the Gulf State with several Saudi Arabian clubs linked with a move for the winger. Pepe was loaned out last season and he has no future at Arsenal having struggled to live up to his £72m price-tag since arriving from Lille in 2020. Arsenal are trying to get at least £15m back from his sale, but with one year left on his contract, the Gunners will probably accept a lower fee just to get him off the books.

So it’s going to be a busy few weeks ahead at the Emirates as Arsenal try to offload their unwanted players to make room and raise funds for new arrivals. Arteta could raise upto £100m from player sales, which could allow him to sign another central midfielder and attacker before the window closes at the end of August.