With Riccardo Calafiori in the door as our first major signing, and Emile Smith Rowe joining Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares in departing the club, but business can we expect next for The Arsenal?

Mikel Merino

Next through the door is likely to be Real Sociedad’s midfielder Mikel Merino.

Whilst the Spanish midfielder might not be the a big name, or come with a big price tag, that some are demanding, he is the player that Mikel Arteta wants.

If you want to understand the impact Merino can have, read our recent blog on him.

That blog finishes with a comparison to Mateo Kovacic – The Croat joined Man City for just £25m last summer and provided Pep Guardiola with an experienced, versatile option. Kovacic was able to cover Rodri as the sole defensive midfielder, and is an option to play further forward when Pep wants to play a little more defensive. Merino does the same for Declan Rice and Arteta.

Reiss Nelson to leave on loan

Having seen Emile Smith Rowe depart, Arsenal will be working on another Hale End exit – Reiss Nelson.

Nelson has never really kicked on from being an exciting young talent.

Just as Nelson was breaking through to the Arsenal first team squad, a younger, more exciting player burst onto the scene – Bukayo Saka. Nelson quickly found himself unable to compete with his teammate, and his game time quickly became limited.

Nelson turns 25 this year. I would be surprised if anyone would offer the £20million Arsenal are reportedly demanding considering his lack of top level game time. Expect him to go on loan with an option to sign him for £20m in the future.

If he performs on-loan over the next 12 months, Arsenal will expect to bank that £20m. If he struggles, his value will plummet dramatically as he will only have a year left on his contract.

Eddie Nketiah to depart

The third Hale End youngster that is likely to depart this summer is Eddie Nketiah.

Like Nelson, Nketiah has never really kicked on from talented youngster. However, he has shown enough that he can do a job for a mid-lower top flight team in England, or abroad.

Nketiah’s price will be driven up due to the lack of strikers in world football right now. I would not be surprised to see him depart for more than what we sold Smith Rowe for.

Jakub Kiwior the loser in the Calafiori deal

A consequence of Calafiori’s recruitment is that it pushes Kiwior down one more in the pecking order.

At centre back, Arteta has Saliba, Gabriel, White, Calafiori, Timber, Tomiyasu and Kiwior as options, with Olexsandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney as additional left backs.

Kiwior at best is now 3rd choice in the left centreback position, and 6th choice left back. I would expect him to move to an Italian club soon. An example of signing someone (Calafiori) who is an upgrade on an existing squad plauer.

Kieran Tierney future a headache

Arsenal would have hoped that Tierney would have a solid loan spell with Real Sociedad that would result in someone coming in for him. Instead his injury issues continued.

3 separate injuries led him to start just 14 La Liga games in 2023/24, and yet another hamstring injury has led him to miss out on our pre-season tour to the USA.

At best, Arsenal will hope for a loan deal with an option to sign him in 12-months. I actually would not be surprised if we receive little to no interest for the Scotsman, and he remains at Arsenal until January not playing.

Aaron Ramsdale to remain? Or leave for Man City?

I am going to go out on a limb and predict that Aaron Ramsdale will remain at Arsenal.

Very few teams would be willing to pay what we want for Ramsdale, and with a contract through to 2027 (if we take up the year extension), we will be in no rush to sell him. The only way I can see him departing is on loan.

Keep an eye on Manchester City though – if Ederson does end up going to Saudi Arabia, they might decide to go for Ramsdale as a stop-gap ahead of scouting and recruiting a long term replacement for the Brazilian – think Claudio Bravo signing a year before Ederson.

A new attacker

Our incomings will be rounded off by one new attacker. It might be a striker. It might be a winger.

Kai Havertz finished last season in very good form. Any forward that comes in will need be a better option than Germany’s first choice striker.

Gabriel Jesus meanwhile has looked sharp in pre-season; could we go into 2024/25 with Havertz and Jesus a our two striker options?

Jesus also provides quality cover on both wings, which leaves Arteta with a choice make.

He signs someone better than Havertz, which relegates Jesus to 3rd choice striker, but also 2nd choice on both wings (behind Martinelli and Saka). Or he signs a top winger, and Jesus remains as Havertz’s cover and competition, further backed up by Martinelli, Trossard and the new winger if he can play in the middle.

My preference would be Nico Williams, who then becomes a starter on the left. There would be more than enough games for the Spaniard, Martinelli and Saka. Trossard then provides further cover.

That would leave us with Havertz and Jesus, backed up by those wide forwards that can play in the middle.

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The only area were it is not clear what are plans are is in the forward positions.

It is not clear whether we will go for an out and out striker (or who?), or opt for a wider forward. Could it be Victor Oshmein? Viktor Gyökeres? Ivan Toney? Or perhaps Nico Williams? Or will end up with someone that we have not even been linked with yet?

The season does not start until 17 August, and the transfer window shuts at the end of the month. Still plenty of time for deals to be done.

Keenos

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— Kick Off Merchants (@KOMerchants) August 2, 2024