Arsenal had more than 20 players on shortlist to capitalise on title win — SkimNews
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- Arsenal built a shortlist of more than 20 players for the summer window, targeting talent at Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Tottenham, but exited the window without a recognised elite attacker.
- Bruno Guimaraes signed from Newcastle United for £75m after Arsenal pivoted to him when midfield alternatives Elliot Anderson (→Manchester City), Sandro Tonali (→Tottenham for £92m+) and Alex Scott proved unviable; Aston Villa's Amadou Onana was also considered before a serious knee injury.
- Ezri Konsa joined for £51m plus £4m in add-ons after Arsenal's initial £40m bid was rejected by Aston Villa; Konsa was Arteta's first-choice defensive option and was valued for his ability to also play right-back.
- Morgan Rogers ended up at Chelsea for £117m after Villa raised their valuation to £120m following Elliot Anderson's £116m move to Manchester City — Arsenal were offered the chance to match but refused, citing their £80m valuation.
- Vinicius Jr signed a new Real Madrid contract after Arsenal were prepared to fund a potential British-record deal, while Julian Alvarez stayed at Atletico Madrid despite Arsenal pursuing him even as he made clear his preference was Barcelona.
- Christos Tzolis was identified through an intermediary close to a senior coaching staff member and signed from Club Brugge for about £35m, with sporting director Andrea Berta's deputy Maurizio Micheli watching him play for Greece against Sweden.
- Arsenal's combined £126m spend on Guimaraes and Konsa — both set to turn 30 by the end of next season — has raised internal concerns about squad longevity, even as the club insist the deals reflect the going rate for proven Premier League quality.
Why it matters: Arsenal spent heavily on experienced Premier League-proven talent — £126m on Guimaraes and Konsa alone — but their failure to replace departed wide attackers Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard leaves manager Mikel Arteta reliant on the same forward group that fell short on targets like Viktor Gyokeres last summer, a gap that could define whether the Gunners retain the title.
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