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Mikel Arteta outlines Arsenal transfer plans involving William Saliba and three signings
The Gunners are set to be active in the summer transfer window after a disappointing season in the Premier League.
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Mikel Arteta has outlined his summer transfer plans following a disappointing season in the Premier League for Arsenal. The Gunners are certain to miss out on the top four and with it qualification for the Champions League through the league.
That makes it vital that Arteta is allowed to bring in reinforcements this summer, with his squad reliant on academy products such as Bakary Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.
With the club’s senior players failing to fire, the Gunners will need to be active in the transfer market if they are to turnaround their fortunes.
A painful lack of consistency as seen them left clinging onto a place in the top half of the Premier League, while they are also on the verge of being knocked out of the Europa League.
Arteta will need recruits in several areas if he is to replicate the form that helped them win the FA Cup in 2020.
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And now planning for the upcoming transfer window is well underway, with Arteta planning to have at least three new signings ahead of next season.
Football.London report that the Gunners are prioritising a new left-back, right-back and attacking midfielder during the summer.
A left-back is an obvious area of need for Arteta, who has seen Kieran Tierney’s season ended by injury after a promising campaign.
The Scot has been hit by problems ever since arriving at the Emirates from Celtic, with the Gunners requiring a solid back-up after being forced to play Cedric Soares on the left.
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Though Cedric has been a solid option since joining from Southampton, Hector Bellerin has been continually linked with a move away.
That means that bringing in a new right-back could become key, with the full backs being among the most creative players for Arsenal this season.
Finally, Arsenal hope to bring loan star Martin Odegaard back permanently after his loan from Real Madrid ends.
Odegaard has impressed many with his performances since joining in the January transfer window, with Football.London claiming they are hopeful of completing a deal in the summer.
One area that may see more departures than arrivals is at centre-back, where Arteta possess a plethora of options.
William Saliba is one of those options, with the Frenchman impressing for Nice in Ligue 1 after going in search of playing opportunities.
Despite finding minutes hard to come by at Arsenal in the first half of the season, Football.London report that Arteta will take a closer look at him in pre-season.
Saliba’s return to the fold is likely to spell the end for David Luiz, whose contract expires at the conclusion of the current campaign.