Will it finally be Arsenal's year?

Another season of full of almost's and what if's. Another season where we could only watch as all the teams around us lifted silverware. Some might say `I wouldn't want to win the Europa League or Conference League anyway, who cares.' But, for those fans of those football clubs, they felt the pure elation of winning a trophy. Something which us as Arsenal fans haven't tasted in a few years. Now, it wasn't all our fault, most of our key players sustained injuries that would keep them out for over a month, in some cases, even more. But, that's the way the cookie crumbled and when it mattered most, the team fell short. However, as in life, you must look forward.

Towards the back end of 2024, Arsenal parted ways with Edu Gaspar and was eventually replaced by Andrea Berta who came from Athletico Madrid. While Edu should be credited with elevating the club from the slums post Raul Sanllehi, he occassionally showed his inexperience and it was best for everyone involved to move on. Berta brought with him a wealth of experience and from a club that sat in the Champions League every season. But, even with his experience, his plate was full from the moment he arrived.

Arsenal are a big club, no matter what anyone else says, and we've shown we can compete with the best on the planet. But, that isn't bringing the success we all desire. Every summer feels like it needs to be the biggest and best that we've ever had in order to land that trophy, and this year is no different. Berta has contracts, signings and sales all on his to do list and, as of writing this post, he's fulfilling all three. So, let's look at what has happened so far and what might come, as well as what our competitors are up to.

Departures

The main departures are as follows; Thomas Partey, Jorginho, Kieran Tierney, Neto, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Raheem Sterling and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji. There's also a raft of youth departures, some certainly some names to keep an eye on in the future. In addition to this Nuno Tavares and Marquinhos have both found new clubs following the expiration of their loans.

Arsenal are certainly not finished with departures and I won't be surprised if there is a departure of a fan favourite amongst all this. In terms of players actually being sold I can see; Oleksandr Zinchenko, Reiss Nelson, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Fabio Vieira, Karl Hein and Leandro Trossard. I can see some decent cash brought in for these players. Trossard, Zinchenko, Vieira and Nelson I can see us getting at least £15m for each. That's upwards of £60m as a base. It could reach £70/£80m. For Hein and Lokonga, I'm not seeing much more than £5m.

The fan favourite I could see being moved on, for an inflated fee, would be Gabriel Martinelli. He's attracted attention from the Saudi league and they were looking at the £60/70m mark. That's an offer you can't refuse considering the ambitions of this club this summer. I think for everyone else, there's a place in the squad for them. Jakub Kiwior proved more than an adequate replacement for Gabriel Magalhaes. With Riccardo Calafiori proving to not be the most reliable of players, Kiwior is a good squad rotation player to have.

Youth

This will be a short dissection of our youth academy and who to keep an eye on this season. Considering the extensive list of injuries we had last season, there was plenty of room on the bench for some of the exciting talent coming through. Obviously Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri made that jump to being first team regulars, so there's every chance a new name might emerge. I think the one player that every Arsenal fan wants to see make his debut is Max Dowman. Supposedly the crown jewel of the Arsenal academy and touted to be getting fast tracked to the first team. Only 15, but we saw Nwaneri at 15 in a Premier League game.

Aside from that, Maldini Kacurri, Tommy Setford and Ismael Kabia will likely see the bench again this season. Marli Salmon and Marcell Washington are two other highly rated prospects. Salmon is being propelled into the U21's at only 15 years of age. Washington arrives from Chelsea as a huge prospect, 17 years old and plays left back. Lewis-Skelly will need a break, Calafiori can't stay fit and Kiwior is suspect at left back so we could see Washington sooner than we think.

Incomings

This section is always the most exciting amongst the fanbase, and it seems like we have plenty to be excited for. With player holidays wrapping up and thoughts turning to pre-season, we're being linked with plethora of players. So far we've officially acquired three new members for the first team. Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard, Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke. With Neto's loan expiring, there was an opportunity for a smart market move by going after Kepa. For only £5m, he'll challenge Raya for a starting spot. Despite Kepa's rather controversial past, he proved at Bournemouth last season that there's still a very good goalkeeper in there.

Norgaard and Zubimendi will directly replace Partey and Jorginho. Zubimendi will bring that stability at the base of the midfield and has shown that he's exceptionally capable of anchoring a midfield at the highest level. Cast your eyes back to the Euro 2024 final and it was Zubimendi that came on and shut England out. For £50/£60m, you won't find much better. Norgaard will bring experience with him, not Jorginho's level, but a level headed player that operates with intelligence and conviction. Two traits that are so important in the modern game. He was excellent at Brentford and I've no doubt he'll bring his form with him to the Emirates. For Noni, it's been kind of understated how important a capable replacement for Saka has been. Sterling was not it at all and Nwaneri looks like he'll adopt a more central role. The need to give Saka a rest is imperative going forward, Noni can provide that as well as cover in that left forward role.

Now, onto the potential signings. Viktor Gyokeres is a name that I almost had to block at one point, along with Benjamin Sesko, as it was getting thrown around every day. It's long been known that Arsenal need a proper striker, a real traditional number 9 that is obssessed with scoring. Gyokeres has scored 97 goals in two seasons at Sporting Lisbon, you don't get much more prolific than that. Now, the argument against Gyokeres is that he's doing all this in the Portuguese league, not exactly a great history of successful exports (for strikers). He's also not really played a game in the top five leagues. He spent time at Brighton, but never broke through, he found form at Coventry and then moved onto Sporting. He commands a sturdy fee of £60/£70m, but Sporting are proving to be hard negotiators. It's clear the player wants Arsenal, and that's what we need.

Elsewhere, it's being reported that a deal for Cristhian Mosquera is close to completion. I think he can prove to be a shrewd signing. Mosquera looking like £20m deal which is extremely good considering his age and potential. Finally adequate cover for Saliba.

Then seemingly the final piece being that left sided forward role. With Trossard open to leaving and Martinelli attracting some big money elsewhre, it's a position that has felt like an upgrade is due. Rodrygo and Eberechi Eze are the names touted and I'd be happy with either. Rodrygo brings that 'marquee signing' kind of impact, like when we signed Mesut Ozil all those years ago. Whereas Eze has that Premier League experience under his belt and has often shown that a move to a bigger club was always knocking on the door. Eze will be cheaper, but Rodrygo is more of an out and out winger. Maybe neither of them will come, but fingers crossed one of them does.

That could conclude business, but seeing as most business could be wrapped up before the pre-season tour, there leaves quite a bit of time to look at other market opportunities

Rivals

As much as you should only care about your own team and what they're doing, it's always interesting to see what else is going on around you. Liverpool have dominated the market. One of the most expensive signings in history in the shape of Florian Wirtz. They replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold with Jeremie Frimpong, a more than capable replacement. Milos Kerkez joined to bolster their left back options, one of the best performing full backs last season. Giorgi Mamardashvili also links back up their squad after spending last season on loan. All these signings and they still look very close to wrapping up a deal for Hugo Ekitike and also have Alexander Isak in mind. It seems like cash reserves are limitless and off the back of a title winning season, Liverpool will likely claim top spot again.

Manchester City have also been very busy in the market, making a number of smart signings. Kevin De Bruyne leaving the club has meant a creative overhaul and they started that with Rayan Cherki. They also brought in some younger legs for midfield in Tijjani Reinjders, a standout midfielder in the Serie A last season. Rayan Ait-Nouri and Sverre Nypan also join the ranks.

Chelsea have also been very active, as expected, by bolstering their front line. Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Liam Delap have all arrived to increase depth across the front. Estevao also links up the squad following his move from Palmeiras. Elsewhere they've added Mamadou Sarr from Strasbourg and Dario Essugo from Sporting Lisbon, further depth for their midfield and defence.

Newcastle have been relatively quiet, having only added Anthony Elanga. They've had transfer battles for Bryan Mbuemo and Hugo Ekitike, but ultimately missing out. It seems like the biggest stories coming out of the club are whether they can keep hold of Isak.

For Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, the latter have been making a few clever signings. Mohamed Kudus arrived from West Ham United and they made Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel permanent deals. Another notary addition to this seasons campaign is Luka Vuskovic, certainly a player that has big potential. They have been in a transfer war with Nottingham Forest over Morgan Gibbs-White, which is still unresolved, but looks like they will end up with him eventually which would be an excellent piece of business. United have struggled to add a huge amount of depth, the only notable additions being Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha. Two very good players, but not all of United's problems will be fixed without addressing issues further back in midfield and defence.

Conclusion

The 2025/26 season is shaping up to be an all-timer. Most teams at the top are getting good business done, and done early. For Arsenal, a trophy is needed more than anything. The Premier League title would be immense, but that will be an enormous task. I think we've made good signings so far and what we've got lined up makes me think we'll push the favourites, Manchester City and Liverpool, all the way. Providing we land all our reported targets in Gyokeres, Mosquera and Eze, then I think we have the right depth to compete on all fronts. A lot of players who had nagging injuries last season in Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel and William Saliba will have had time off and completed a thorough rehabilitation. We could be looking at a full squad with plenty of rotation.

Bring it on!