Arsenal were active in the summer window and could have ended perfectly, so here is a rating of the club’s transfer activity over the summer…
THE LOWDOWN: ACTIVE ARSENAL IN THE TRANSFER WINDOW
Arsenal were one of the most active Premier League sides in the transfer window, spending above the £100m mark for the second summer in succession.
The Gunners welcomed several high-profile incomings, highlighted by the arrivals of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko for big money.
Although Arsenal were close to making it a “perfect window” by entering the deadline day transfer market for more signings, it failed to happen as the North London club missed out on Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz. Despite several links, an addition on the wings, – Marco Asensio and Pedro Neto – did not happen.
On the flip side, some dead weights were either sold or loaned out of the club, and the club had a logical strategy in the transfer market for incomings.
THE LATEST: WINDOW SHUT
Following injuries to Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey, Arsenal’s last push for the signing of midfielder Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa was not successful. According to Sky Sports, Arsenal saw an opening bid of £20 million rejected on Thursday, and further second and third bids of £23m and £25m were also rejected.
THE VERDICT: SUPERB TRANSFER WINDOW
Gabriel Jesus arrived with so much promise and has delivered to a large extent. He has brought life into Arsenal’s attack and is arguably the best signing of the window for the Gunners.
Oleksandr Zinchenko looks technically gifted than playing at left back for Mikel Arteta’s side, but he has been able to deputize for Kieran Tierney and has more to offer in the coming weeks of the season.
Goalkeeper Matt Turner and Fabio Vieira are yet to prove their mettle but one is optimistic about their quality. Meanwhile, Marquinhos has been solid with the U23s and could play a part in Arsenal’s important season.
Bernd Leno‘s transfer to Fulham was quite expected as he needed to keep playing ahead of the World Cup in Qatar. Having spent some years at Marseille on loan, Matteo Guendouzi left permanently while erratic left-back Nuno Tavares was also loaned out to the Ligue 1 side.
Another player who has been on the fringes for a while, Lucas Torreira left for Galatasaray, while forgotten man Pablo Mari joined AC Monza in the Seria A. On deadline day, Hector Bellerin returned to Barcelona, as Ainsely Maitland-Niles joined Southampton.
On a final note, it was a very good transfer window from Mikel Arteta, Edu and all involved in the Arsenal transfer committee. The Gunners strengthened the right areas and managed to sell off some of the deadwood. Recent injuries to Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny almost derailed the plans, but the North-London outfit can be proud of the business they have done.