GAB WON’T BE LAST MAN GUNNERS CALL
Big-spending Arteta still in the market for exciting talent
MIKEL ARTETA is on course to be among the Premier League’s big spenders again this summer.
Arsenal have agreed a £45million deal for Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus which is the most eyecatching transfer so far, the sort of deal to spark a sense of excitement among the fans.
The Gunners have also brought in Portugal Under-21 star Fabio Vieira for £34m from Porto and have announced the £5m capture of New England Revolution’s USA keeper Matt Turner.
Brazilian teenager Marquinhos has arrived for £3m as one for the future. But there could yet be more.
They are keen on Leeds and Brazil star Raphinha, and are aiming to fend off competition from Manchester United to sign Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez.
His Dutch side have been holding firm on a £50m-plus valuation but Arsenal have been working on a move for Martinez for the last two months and believe the Argentina international will be allowed to leave.
They are long-term admirers of Leicester’s Youri Tielemans as a ready-made attacking midfielder but, with other options in place, that does not seem such a pressing matter.
This summer was always due to be about quality over quantity and the deals underline Arsenal’s ambition to back boss Arteta (above) ahead of the new campaign.
Having spent close to £160m last year on bolstering the squad, they are making big moves in the market. They have got themselves back into Europe, though just missed out on the Champions League having resisted going all-out in January to make a push for the top four. Instead, they decided to be patient, stick with the longterm vision, not panic into moves and rather wait for their preferred targets. It felt like a missed opportunity having finished just behind Tottenham, who nicked fourth place from under Arsenal’s noses. But there was still a lot of work done in January. They trimmed the wage bill with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading a clear-out which balanced the books. More often than not it is contracts rather than transfer fees that can push a club over their spending limits and now they have more freedom to make moves and reshape the squad.
Now they want to offload £72m record signing Nicolas Pepe and will probably have to take a major hit on that investment, but his departure may ease the move for Raphinha.
Arsenal are not alone in trying to sign Raphinha, with Chelsea and Tottenham watching developments while the Leeds star may prefer Barcelona but they are struggling to find the ready cash.
Jesus now comes in as Arsenal’s first-choice centre-forward and they have tied down Eddie Nketiah to a new deal. They are also determined to keep Bukayo Saka, who is entering the final two years of his contract. But the summer spending underlines the club’s ambition.