In late 3/2025, Arsenal appointed Andrea Berta as sporting director, filling the vacancy left by Edu Gaspar. Berta, who won the Globe Soccer Awards' Sporting Director of the Year in 2019, is tasked with completing major transfers, renewing contracts with star players, and improving the club's financial sustainability in the long term.

However, almost three months later, while rivals are actively strengthening their squads, Arsenal has not announced any new signings for the summer transfer window, a crucial period for manager Mikel Arteta. This inactivity is causing anxiety among Arsenal fans, with numerous questions arising on online forums.

Berta (left) is expected to bring quality additions to Arteta's squad, boosting Arsenal's chances in next season's Premier League title race. *Photo: Sky Sports*

Scoring goals has been Arsenal's primary weakness in their three consecutive unsuccessful Premier League title races. Last season, they scored only 69 goals – 17 fewer than champions Liverpool. Kai Haverz was their top scorer with only 9 goals, ranking 26th in the league. Arsenal's expected goals (xG) last season was only 61.6 – the sixth highest among the 20 teams. These figures are simply too low for a title contender.

Arteta's list of targets is extensive. According to the Times, besides a left-winger and a center-forward, he needs at least one central midfielder, a center-back, and a backup goalkeeper. Ideally, all these players should join before Arsenal's pre-season training in Spain and their tour in Singapore and Hong Kong.

At first glance, it seems Berta hasn't made much progress. However, he and Arsenal appear unfazed, as their transfer targets are still on holiday until next month. No club wants to pay new signings just to "lie on the beach."

Furthermore, Arsenal is reportedly close to announcing the signing of Martin Zubimendi, a midfielder from Real Sociedad, in a deal worth 68 million USD, planned before Berta's arrival. They have also initiated the pursuit of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea for over 6 million USD, after missing out on Joan Garcia, the Espanyol goalkeeper who recently moved to Barcelona.

Berta's Working Style

During his time at Atletico Madrid, Berta often negotiated with multiple transfer targets for the same position before deciding on a specific deal. He considers this a common approach in Europe, similar to that of his compatriot and fellow sporting director Fabio Paratici at Tottenham. However, this contrasts with his predecessor at Arsenal, Edu Gaspar, who preferred focusing on a single target.

Berta deep in thought in the stands at the Emirates Stadium during Arsenal's match against Wolves last season. *Photo: Sky Sports*

According to the Times, Berta believes in signing only quality players for around 87 million USD and avoids overspending on transfer fees or wages. "Putting all your eggs in one basket" would limit the budget for other positions that also need reinforcements and could create a chain reaction affecting the wage demands of current players. Following Berta's approach, Arsenal's transfer dealings may seem slow but are not localized to a single option.

Attacking Targets

Berta is currently negotiating with Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig and Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting. According to Sky Sports, he is also considering Ollie Watkins, the Aston Villa striker whom Arteta previously proposed signing in January. However, Arsenal has not made an official offer for any of the three.

Gyokeres became a target after scoring nearly 100 goals in the past two seasons in the Portuguese league. The Swedish striker wants to leave and reportedly prefers Arsenal over Man Utd, while Sporting is also willing to sell. However, some Arsenal board members consider 107 million USD for a 27-year-old player too expensive, especially since Gyokeres has only played in a mid-level European league.

Sesko is considered a more attractive target due to his age (22) and greater potential. The Gunners have been tracking the Slovenian striker for almost two seasons and tried to sign him in the summer of 2024. Moreover, RB Leipzig's business model involves selling players, and their absence from European competitions next season could give Arsenal an advantage in negotiations. However, the German club's asking price of 100 million USD is considered high, as Sesko has never played in English football.

Therefore, Watkins, who has consistently scored at least 10 goals in five consecutive seasons with Aston Villa, is being considered. The English striker is 29 years old, which could persuade Aston Villa to lower their asking price from the 80 million USD set earlier this year. Furthermore, Villa Park's failure to qualify for the Champions League next season means they need to sell players to increase their transfer budget.

Sesko, Gyokeres, and Watkins (from right to left) are Arsenal's targets for the center-forward position. *Photo: Football 365*

Another measure of a striker's quality is their Champions League performance. Last season, Gyokeres scored 6 goals in this competition, including a hat-trick against Man City. Sesko scored 4 goals against Atletico Madrid, Juventus, and Sporting. Watkins scored only one goal and was a substitute in both legs of the quarter-final against PSG.

Targets for other positions

Arsenal have stopped pursuing Nico Williams, a left-winger with a release clause of only 68 million USD. However, the Euro 2024 winner demands high wages and is reportedly agreeing terms with Barca, who offered 0.4 million USD per week before tax. Excessive wage demands also led Arsenal to abandon their pursuit of Leroy Sane, who left Bayern on a free transfer and has just agreed to join Galatasaray in Turkey.

According to the Guardian, Berta is now considering two other options: Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa) and Anthony Gordon (Newcastle). Negotiations for both players are expected to be challenging due to their key roles at their current clubs.

In central midfield, while Zubimendi's arrival seems almost certain, Arsenal is struggling to find another addition. Therefore, Berta is attempting to negotiate a contract extension with Thomas Partey, whose contract expires at the end of this month.

Timing of Transfers

Last year, Arsenal signed Riccardo Calafiori on 29/7 and Mikel Merino on 27/8. They waited until 30/8 to loan Raheem Sterling from Chelsea because they couldn't find a suitable winger.

Rice was a successful signing for Arsenal after his debut in mid-7/2023. *Photo: Arsenal FC*

In 2023, Arsenal also signed Declan Rice in a record 140 million USD deal on 15/7. Rice and Jurrien Timber joined just two days before Arsenal's pre-season tour. In 2021, Arsenal signed Ben White on 30/7 and Aaron Ramsdale on 20/8. In 2022, Gabriel Jesus joined on 4/7, followed by Oleksandr Zinchenko during the training camp in Orlando.

While Arteta wants reinforcements early, and players also want to secure their futures quickly, the above data reveals Arsenal's multi-year transfer trend of finalizing deals in the latter half of the summer window. Berta seems to be following this pattern, explaining the Gunners' lack of new signings so far.

Compiled by Hoang Thong