Arsenal is facing a paradox: just announced a £75 million contract with Bruno Guimaraes, but the squad has not yet fully met Mikel Arteta's requirements.
Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis have cost Arsenal a total of £109 million in the 2026 summer transfer window. However, Mikel Arteta still wants to add a world-class striker and a center-back to complete the squad.
Sporting director Andrea Berta is actively looking for suitable options. One of them is the possibility of implementing an exchange agreement with Galatasaray related to Victor Osimhen, Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri.
Time is putting pressure on Arsenal. The Emirates Stadium team will meet Manchester City in the Community Shield this weekend, before opening the Premier League with a match against Coventry. The summer transfer window is only more than two weeks before closing on September 1.
Arteta does not hide his desire for Arsenal to continue strengthening the squad. After the draw with Como, the Spanish captain affirmed that the team needs to take advantage of every opportunity to improve the quality and depth of the squad, but admitted that many deals are not entirely within Arsenal's decision-making power.
We are actively improving and developing the team. That is very clear. In the next few weeks, Arsenal is expected to have more changes, because we always want to improve.
The transfer market is bustling and we will not stand still. Arsenal is very ambitious with their goals" - Arteta shared.
The "Gunners'" ambition is clearly shown in pursuing stars like Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez. However, that ambition also makes the transfer process more complicated when other teams understand their financial capabilities.
Arsenal has just experienced a season with record revenue of 770 million pounds, of which commercial revenue has more than doubled in just 4 years. Financial potential helps Arsenal be able to pursue large deals, but at the same time also gives partners more reason to push player prices up.
Konsa's case is a clear example. Aston Villa values the 28-year-old center-back at 60 million pounds, while Arsenal is currently said to be only willing to pay about 40 million pounds. In the context of William Saliba's injury, Arsenal may have to choose between accepting a high price or continuing to wait for a more suitable option.
Despite spending heavily, Arsenal still has a lot of work to do if they want to fully meet Arteta's requirements. From now until the market closes, Berta's biggest problem is to both supplement the missing positions and avoid the urgent need that makes Arsenal pay too high a price.
Currently, not many players on the market meet Arsenal's requirements and are capable of improving the quality of the squad. However, we are still actively looking for solutions and will try our best" - Arteta added.
