Arsenal have made some major signings this summer, but few sales have gone through. There is plenty left to do.

Arsenal finally confirmed the arrival of Declan Rice yesterday. The midfielder joined the club in a British record transfer deal worth £105 million in total. The day before, the Gunners announced the signing of versatile Ajax defender Jurrien Timber. These two deals followed on from the capture of Kai Havertz from London rivals Chelsea earlier in the Summer. 

Arsenal have spent big and they’ve spent early. Mikel Arteta’s side head to the USA today for a pre-season tour and this trio of new faces will be amongst the travelling party. The Spanish coach will be pleased to have plenty of time to work with his new charges and integrate them into his system before the season begins in earnest. These are the three marquee signings of Arsenal’s transfer window, but the club’s work is not done. 

Granit Xhaka’s departure represents the only major sale made so far. Others will follow the Swiss midfielder out of the door, and the unpredictability of the market in general means Arsenal will have plenty of opportunities to take and decisions to make before deadline day.

The next phase of Arsenal’s transfer window

The next phase of Arsenal’s summer will be dictated by sales. Figures on the outskirts of the squad such as Cedric Soares, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Rob Holding will be moved on if possible. There are also question marks over the futures of Kieran Tierney, Thomas Partey, and Folarin Balogun. 

The tour of the USA offers an opportunity for Arteta to assess his squad, and also for players who have been on the fringes to prove their worth and stake a claim for a starting role.

Given a lack of squad depth was a big factor in Arsenal ultimately falling short in their Premier League title push last season, sales will mean more signings this summer, in most cases. Arsenal aren’t done spending, but their focus now will be on getting players out and then scouring the market for smart deals and bargains towards the end of the window.

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