The Perfect Transfer Window is a series of long-reads that, just as it says on the tin, looks at the idealistic approach to the coming transfer window for specific clubs.

Today’s team in question is Arsenal, fresh from their 2nd place finish in the Premier League and consequent UCL qualification, the Gunners boast a considerable ‘war chest’ for the summer. There’s good confidence that Arteta can spend big, as well as his desire to improve players that played a lesser role this year – i.e Emile Smith Rowe.

In order to establish the wants/needs of the window, below is the current state of Arsenal’s squad depth in Arteta’s most used formation. 

This season has been eye-opening in establishing the kind of profiles Arteta invisions as part of his long-term project, and hence why the likes of Kieran Tierney might be reluctantly sold. In the above there are many senior players who are not involved: those returning from loan and those long-term injured, so let’s deal with them first. 

Loan returnees

Cédric Soares

With 1-year left on his contract Cédric is returning to Arsenal after his loan at Fulham with reportedly renewed enthusiasm to compete for a spot. Cédric currently collects £75,000 at Arsenal – a wage not befitting a third choice right-back at almost any club; and whilst the player is keen to challenge himself again, it’s clear that it’s in Arsenal’s best interests to secure a permanent departure this summer.

Albert Sambi Lokonga

Didn’t impress when given chances at Arsenal last season and nor did he get too much love from Pat or Roy at Palace. Lokonga is at a bit of a cross-roads now, at 23-years-old he needs to be playing regular football and although it’s possible he’s one Arteta wants to work and improve with this year, it seems most likely that the Belgian could leave Arsenal permanently this summer. Lokonga has been unfortunate to be considered Partey’s understudy – a role that doesn’t suit his skill set, but he similarly seems to lack characteristics needed to play in the advanced role Xhaka is vacating.

Marquinhos

No need for anything in-depth here, Marquinhos simply needs another loan to prove he’s good enough to be part of Arsenal’s set up. His time at Norwich was undeniably disappointing, but there’s no reason why he can’t thrive in a different side given the bright moments he has shown for the Gunners.

Nuno Tavares

And now we approach the players who it seems more certain should leave the Emirates. Nuno Tavares, whilst looking incredible going forward at times was let down (quite dramatically) by his defending. The transition from Tavares to the inverted Zinchenko seems impossible to reverse, and that coupled with reports of Tavares training poorly in France should lead to permanent exit.

Nicolas Pépé

Another who looks destined to leave. Had a mediocre time at Nice, one blighted by injury in the end – an injury that could complicate his departure. Pépé is currently suffering with knee tendonitis, an issue without a firm return date. Arsenal will of course not be able to recoup much at all of their c. £70 million investment but they will hope to clear what they can of his £140,000 a week in wages.

Auston Trusty

I’ll keep these brief as we really are getting to the depths of Arsenal’s squad now. Trusty has enjoyed a good loan spell at Birmingham and was voted their POTS for 22/23.  A smart bit of business by Arsenal bringing him in for a modest fee, it will be interesting to see if he can attract interest from a PL club on loan or whether he’ll attempt to further his reputation in the Championship.

Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson

Whilst this move made sense in my world as an Arsenal supporting Icelandic football analyst, it almost didn’t in any other. Rúnar Alex is out of his depth at Arsenal and although only brought in to strengthen squad depth, as a player Iñaki Caña had enjoyed working with, the move simply hasn’t worked on any level. The 28-year-old is now enjoying something of a renaissance in Turkey with Alanyaspor and a permanent move makes sense for all parties.

Mohamed Elneny (long-term injured)

You would do well to find many more popular than Elneny around the Emirates but it’s clear that his serious knee injury that abruptly ended his season is likely to extend into a considerable chunk of the next. His contract expires in June 2024 and although Arsenal extended his deal as a deserved show of goodwill, and because he’s an excellent footballer, it’s hard to envision another deal beyond.

Squad departures

And here’s where it gets juicy. You might notice that one Folarin Balogun wasn’t included among the loan returnees, and that’s because I feel he’s better spoken about here. An incredible season in Ligue 1 with Reims, but not one that promises an Arsenal future, and that’s mostly because of his understandable need to play as a first choice striker. With Jesus and Nketiah that won’t happen at Arsenal so now is the perfect time to cash in on the American striker, despite how it may hurt to see a Hale End graduate leave the club.

It was mentioned above that it’s also likely to be time up for Kieran Tierney – something that would have sounded absurd a year ago. The Scotsman embodied everything Arteta’s new Arsenal looked to be, yet now he looks like a square peg in a round hole. Tierney isn’t the inverted full-back Arteta needs on the left, which makes the links to Pep Guardiola’s City look quite confusing, but needless to say a move to Newcastle looks the perfect fit. He’ll depart with a tear in each fan’s eye, not only because of how excellent he’s been, but also because of how much he’ll improve a close rival in the North. 

If it’s heart-breaking departures you are here for, well here’s another. Granit Xhaka looks closer to his Bayer Leverkusen move by the hour and his emotional rollercoaster of an Arsenal career will thankfully close on a very fond note. He’s been pivotal to establishing this advanced role on the left side of midfield – one that much better shows his skill set, but it’s also clear Arsenal can make progress in the area. It’s rare to see such an amicable timing on a move for all parties, so it’s no surprise to see Arsenal cashing in.

The following moves are much more infant in their progression but it’s also thought that moves away may also materialize for Thomas Partey and Rob Holding this summer. Partey’s season fizzled out and there’s said to be significant interest from Italy; whilst it seems odd to sell a player who’s been world-class at times, Partey’s inconsistent injury history really has hindered the progress of Arteta’s side at times. It wouldn’t be too surprising if he were to be moved on to sanction a double push for the likes of Rice/Caicedo (which we shall explore).

Rob Holding will always be loved by Arsenal fans but he again showed at the season’s end that Arteta’s ever improving project is now beyond his skillset, and a new challenge would also suit both parties. 

So, before we move on to the ever-exciting in comings, here’s how Arsenal’s squad looks after that hypothetical business:

It’s worth noting that Ben White has been moved to right centre-back, which is reportedly where Arteta again see’s him moving forwards. As a result Tomiyasu has been moved to first choice right-back – a role he can definitely fulfill if he avoids his persistent injury issues. With that being said, let’s take a look at who Arsenal could target in a perfect window. 

Summer signings

So let’s start from the top, Declan Rice. Of course heavily linked with Arsenal since the latter part of last season and good sources have suggested his preference is Arsenal. Whether the likes of Bayern and United can gazump Arsenal’s offer remains to be seen – and is a worry, but Arsenal should now have more fire-power in that area after a return to the UCL.

Rice would of course be a transformative signing for the club, and one of the few players in world football that is a definite upgrade on Partey. You may notice below that Rice is positioned in the more advanced LCM role vacated by Xhaka, and there seems increased talk that could be his ideal role in the side. He could of course fulfill the role admirably sitting as a single pivot but with Moises Caicedo also on the wish-list it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rice utlising his impressive attacking characteristics at Arsenal too. 

Another who barely needs an introduction: Moisés Caicedo. Brighton’s 21-year-old Ecuadorian has taken the league by storm and with De Zerbi incredibly honest about his departure this summer there will be a long queue of clubs waiting. Arsenal tabled multiple bids in January, so you would hope that interest still exists, and there’s a consensus among fans that securing both Rice and Caicedo would be the pinnacle of this project for the next five years.

Whether Arsenal can secure both remains to be seen, but with their reported budget and those already agreed to leave, it does seem from the outside that the finances could work. The next problematic area would then be depth at full-back. Zinchenko will be left without an understudy and Tomiyasu has already made it clear he won’t be available across a whole season.

Arsenal have been credited with interest in the surprisingly available João Cancelo and although this is looking at the ‘perfect’ window, if there’s doubts over securing both Rice and Caicedo it would seem unrealistic to suggest the 29-year-old could be on his way too. Although not a full-back, İlkay Gündoğan also falls into this bracket; a brilliant signing if he arrives, but not one that can be suggested alongside a near £200 million outlay on the midfield already. 

So here come the smarter picks at full-back, starting with Iván Fresneda. Arsenal have long been credited with interest in the ‘wonderkid’ and at just 18-years-old he does seem surprisingly ready to make the move to a top team. Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal seem to be the front-runners, and the right-back’s versatility across systems should be very attractive to Arteta’s ongoing project. Real Valladolid would definitely demand a sizeable fee but one that Arsenal should have little issue matching.

Fresneda is Tomiyasu’s understudy in the graphic above but there would surely be a lot of movement between the two and Ben White at right-back should he arrive at the Emirates. Similar depth can’t be found at left-back, especially with Kieran Tierney likely to leave, so here are two realistic alternatives to the probably out of reach Cancelo.

For the purposes of substituting for Zinchenko, I’ve looked at two of the most promising inverted full-backs in Europe, even if they might take some improving to be first-team ready at Arsenal. Firstly, Fabiano Parisi, a 22-year-old from Empoli in the Serie A. Premier League clubs have been credited with interest and Arsenal could steal the march on an impressive profile who has been called up to the Italy squad of late. An alternative: 19-year-old Milos Kerkez from AZ Alkmaar. A Hungary international already, AZ are bracing themselves for a move for the young defender who arrived from AC Milan in January 2022.

As stated, both would need to improve to push Zinchenko but it’s clear that the role is initially to play understudy – and in order to supplement the firefighter role Tierney played at times, Tomiyasu could easily move across the defence as he’s admirably shown in the past. This new look Arsenal back line would be incredibly versatile, something that would definitely suit Arteta. 

The above summary of Arsenal’s business does look like it leaves the squad looking slightly thin, but only four of the departures have played anything near serious minutes for Arsenal this season. I do think Arsenal could continue to add for squad depth, but again keeping this window idealistic but also feasible is at the heart of this read. Lokonga could easily return and add depth in midfield, Cedric Soares may prove hard to sell and may stick around, as could be the case with Rob Holding.

Arsenal have a huge opportunity this summer and if the above window is executed they will be in an excellent position to push for a league title and advance to a respectable point of the UCL too. As ever, thank you for taking the time to unwrap this with me and please do leave any comments on how you would approach this window.