Arsenal have begun shaping their summer transfer plans with Julian Alvarez under close watch and Mikel Arteta preparing to make what he called very important decisions after the club came within minutes of a first Champions League title. The manager said he would take a few days with his family before reviewing the season, but the message from inside the club is that the next step will involve real change.
The timing matters because the transfer window opens on June 15, and Arsenal are not approaching it like a team short of ambition. They spent about £250m on new players last summer and have already put about £930m into the squad under Arteta, yet the push for more firepower has not eased. Alvarez is one of the names being monitored, and his Premier League experience from Manchester City makes him an obvious fit for a side trying to stay at the top in England and go one better in Europe.
Arteta did not sound like a coach planning to stand still after Arsenal beat Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan on the way to the final, then lost on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain after being minutes away from winning Europe's elite competition for the first time in their history. “We will have to start making some very important decisions if we want to reach another level,” he said, adding that the club would need to be “very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”
That is where the summer gets complicated. Viktor Gyokeres scored 21 goals in all competitions in his first season, which would normally calm any talk of another major forward signing. Instead, Arsenal are also looking to strengthen on the left wing, and there is growing expectation that the attacking group will be examined from every angle. Football.london has reported that Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus are all set to enter the summer, a sign that the club is weighing not just additions but changes.
Matthew Upson argued that some of the answers may come from within, saying Bukayo Saka would be in the discussion and praising Trossard as technically excellent. But he also pointed to the demands of Europe, where full-backs can become catalysts for attacks and possession becomes vital over two legs. Arsenal know that lesson already. The question now is not whether they will spend again, but which forward line Arteta decides is strong enough for another title push and a second run at the Champions League.
