Arsenal fans were used to missing out on their primary summer targets; always settling for second best, including in the Premier League.
Whilst scrambling around to complete last-minute deals on deadline day was exciting, most of the top talent had already finalised and played their first games at their new clubs, leaving the Gunners to pick from those who had yet to find pastures new.
However, Arsenal have completely revolutionised their approach to recruitment this summer. Andrea Berta made his official move to North London in March and has been relentless in his drive to improve Mikel Arteta’s squad since. The Gunners have already completed three deals, with a further trio of signings expected to arrive at the Emirates Stadium before the club’s pre-season tour in Singapore.
Whilst the likes of Viktor Gyökeres and Martin Zubimendi will improve the Gunners on the field, Berta has been responsible for a change in approach off the field and has made Arsenal a force in the transfer market.
In the 2023/24 season, Kai Havertz put in a valiant effort as Arsenal’s frontman, but going into the next season, it was clear that Arsenal needed a striker. Similarly, Bukayo Saka was the Gunners’ only right-wing option during that campaign, and it was hoped that depth would be signed after Reiss Nelson joined Fulham on loan.
However, Arsenal failed to sign a striker after a half-hearted attempt at securing the services of RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko. The club even had the chance to bring in an option in January, but declined. Just days after the transfer window slammed shut, Havertz sustained a long-term injury. With Gabriel Jesus already ruled out for the entire campaign, Mikel Merino was shoehorned into a position he had never played.
Albeit Merino did a stellar job in his new position, a natural frontman would have added more goals to an Arsenal side that experienced a 31 per cent decline in output from 2023/24 to 2024/25. The club and former sporting director Edu failed to address this need for goals, resulting in 14 draws, a number that was too high for a side with title ambitions.
Before last season, Bukayo Saka was seemingly invincible. The Hale End graduate played in virtually every Arsenal match, but without sufficient rest, injuries inevitably caught up with him. This meant Ethan Nwaneri, the Gunners’ latest prodigy, was perhaps rushed into first-team football, but excelled in moments.
In the latter half of last season, the Gunners fielded a regular attack of Gabriel Martinelli, Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard. While this is a decent front three, it is incomparable to the likes of Manchester City or Liverpool, who have a plethora of world-class talent to call upon in those positions.
At the time of writing, Arsenal’s squad has returned to pre-season and Berta has all-but-completed six transfers, with three of those already official.
A deal for Gyökeres is close to completion, Fabrizio Romano has paved the way for Cristhian Mosquera to move to N5 with his signature ‘Here We Go’, and Noni Madueke is a medical away from becoming a Gunner.
In one transfer window, Berta has resolved the major shortcomings within the squad, and now every position has at least two players who can comfortably carry out the role required by Arteta.
Finally, it seems that Arteta can go into the season with the squad necessary to win silverware, and he really must from now on. There can be no more excuses from this point as Berta has given the Spaniard all the tools necessary to end a more than 20-year period without a Premier League title.
Another option on the left and in attacking midfield would put the cherry on top of a brilliant summer, but the Italian has prioritised the most important incomings first. Any further additions can be made before the September 1 deadline.
Berta still has some work to do in terms of outgoings. The futures of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson, Albert Sambi Lokonga, and more need to be resolved, with transfer fees required to balance the books of a potential £300 million outlay.
However, the former Atletico Madrid transfer guru has already made a lasting impression amongst the Arsenal fanbase in what could turn out to be the club’s most significant transfer window to date.
