Arsenal are preparing to finally take down Manchester City in 2024/25 season after coming close two consecutive times. Mikel Arteta’s side were very unfortunate to lose the Premier League title by only two points. Arsenal emerged as one of the strongest team not only in England but also across Europe. In Premier League Arsenal’s defense was stronger than everyone else. However the Gunners were significantly weak at the left back position. Oleksandr Zinchenko who Arsenal signed in 2022 made only 20 starts in league and now its been reported that he will be sold in this summer.
Arsenal are set to have another big transfer market. The club has already announced the signing of David Raya on permanent basis on official Arsenal website. Raya kept 20 clean sheets across all competitions. Out of those 16 were in Premier League earning Raya a golden glove award. The Gunners only conceded 29 goals in Premier League last season. The trio of William Saliba, Gabriel Magaleas and Ben White played an important role in club’s defense. The only position which looked weak in defense was left back position.
Arsenal set to sign Riccardo Calafiori
The Gunners want to improve their defense. They have been linked with Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori who caught Arteta’s eyes in Euro 2024. It has also been reported that the 22 year old has agreed personal terms with North London club. Bologna and Arsenal are set to have a meeting this week to discuss about the deal. It will cost Arsenal £42.5 million to get their hands on Calafiori.
Calafiori is left footed defender who generally plays on left side of defense. However he is extremely versatile and is equally effective as a left back too. Calafiori’s arrival may lead to Zinchenko’s departure. Along with Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior is also set to depart from the Emirates.
Zinchenko linked with move away from Arsenal
Zinchenko joined Gunners in 2022 after having highly successful spells under Pep Guardiola at Man City. Arsenal paid City £30 million for the Ukrainian international. He was considered as an important addition to Arsenal squad and had a great first season with Arsenal. However in 2023/24 season the Ukrainian fell out of Arteta’s favour due to lacking in consistency.
As a result, Arteta used Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior as Zinchenko’s replacment on various occasions. Kiwior has also been linked with an away move along with Kieran Tierney who spent the whole 2023/24 season on loan with Real Sociedad. Jurrien Timber is another option available for Mikel Arteta. Timber joined Arsenal last year from Ajax for £34 million. However the Dutch full back was injured limiting his Premier League appearances to only two throughout his debut season.
Zinchenko’s current Arsenal contract runs until 2026. However the Ukrainian is more likely to get sold for a good price. Due to the profitability and sustainability rules, Arsenal will need to maintain their balance sheet and hence will more likely try to sell Zinchenko instead of keeping him on the bench.
Arsenal’s other transfer plans
Arsenal’s priority seems to go after a striker. Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus who are both primary strikers for Gunners have their future uncertain at the Emirates. Gunners were heavily linked with Benjamin Sesko who opted to stay at RB Leipzig. Arteta still has interest in Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen but their prices are proving hard to meet for Arsenal. Thomas Partey is very likely to move away from Arsenal which will result in Jorginho pairing up with Declan Rice. The club were desperate to sign Martin Zubimendi but the Spaniard was not interested to leave Spain at all. Once Calafiori’s deal is completed, Arsenal will shift all their focus on striker and midfielder.
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