03 July 2023 , 12:55
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This summer is all about one thing for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta: closing the gap to Manchester City.
Highly unfancied at the start of last season, the Gunners took City to the wire and almost pipped them to the Premier League title. Alas, the relentless winning machine Pep Guardiola has assembled did what they do best - lift silverware...and lots of it.
City finished five points ahead of Arsenal in the final standings, ultimately finishing the season with a stunning treble. But Arteta doesn’t want to be in charge of a one-season wonder and along with Sporting Director Edu, they have attacked the summer transfer window.
Kai Havertz has already completed his move from Chelsea, while West Ham ’s Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber from Ajax are expected to join imminently. So how much have Arsenal already reeled in City and which positions do they still need to strengthen before they can be confident in toppling City at the top of the Premier League?
We asked our Mirror Football writers:
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Andy Dunn
Wrapping up the Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber signings - to go with the capture of Kai Havertz - would be the perfect START of Mikel Arteta’s summer transfer business.
If anyone wants to match Manchester City, strength in squad depth is the obvious key and Arteta is in clear need of extra striking options.
With this talented Arsenal side, goals can come from all over the pitch but they need an attacking fulcrum.
Declan Rice is set to become an Arsenal player this week (Getty Images)An extra defensive midfielder would be useful, meaning Arteta could give Rice more of a licence to get forward. When that happens, we will see an even better Rice.
And as City show, you can never have too many high-quality centre-halves.
With three almost tied up, another three would be useful. It seems extravagant but the gap between City and the rest of the Premier league is in danger of becoming extravagant.
Alan Smith
Arsenal will be a better team than last season but no closer to surpassing City. The signings are impressive: Declan Rice will improve the midfield, Jurrien Timber adds much-needed depth in defence and no one should be surprised if Kai Havertz, despite doubts over his best position, is consistently more impactful than at Chelsea.
And yet it's still not enough to find a way past a Treble-winning team that is adding Josko Gvardiol at centre back and expecting even more from Erling Haaland now he has had a season to settle in. How often do players make a big leap in their second seasons under Pep Guardiola? A terrifying prospect.
City will win the Premier League again, leading to more questions about fairness and financial equality, while Arsenal are shaping up to again be the best of the rest.
Man City's dominance shows no signs of letting up anytime soon (2023 Visionhaus)Tom Blow
Arsenal have improved this summer. Declan Rice is an upgrade on Granit Xhaka, who's off to Bayer Leverkusen, and Kai Havertz gives Mikel Arteta more depth in attack.
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It's too early to say whether the Gunners have closed the gap on Manchester City. As it stands, they have. Ilkay Gundogan's move to Barcelona is a huge blow for Pep Guardiola, even if Mateo Kovavic is a good replacement.
But there's still nearly two months left of this transfer window. Both City and Arsenal have plenty of time to bring in more players, while Liverpool have strengthened with the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
For me, Arsenal's weak point is their midfield. They need to find a replacement for the unreliable Thomas Partey, while Albert Sambi Lokonga, Fabio Vieira and Mohamed Elneny are not going to win you a Premier League title.
Arsenal should bring in another central midfielder to play alongside Rice. Moises Caicedo, Brighton's 21-year-old superstar, would be a brilliant signing. The only problem is whether the Gunners can afford him.
Arsenal already have enough quality and depth in defence and attack. We shouldn't forget how unlucky they were last season with long-term absentees (William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus, Emile Smith Rowe, Takehiro Tomiyasu... the list goes on).
Tom Victor
It’s certainly true that Arsenal are making the right moves in the bid to chase down Manchester City, even if any title bid will require their rivals to start just as slowly as last year.
Mikel Arteta and Edu appear to have gone in with a clear plan of strengthening the spine of the team, but the bigger issue last term was strength in depth.
While City were able to turn to the bench and see the likes of Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez, among others, Arsenal found things tougher when the bigger names were unavailable.
Kia Havertz has left Chelsea to join rivals Arsenal (Getty Images)It feels telling that two of the new arrivals, Kai Havertz and the incoming Jurrien Timber, can fill in in more than one position (Declan Rice can too, but it’s been a long time since his centre-back days at West Ham).
With those moves already made, the obvious next move is recruiting a striker capable of bettering the 15 goals scored by the Gunners’ joint-top scorers.
Dusan Vlahovic has been targeted before, suggesting the Arsenal hierarchy are well aware of his qualities, and a swoop for the freshly-available Juve striker could be just what Arteta’s side need.
Daniel Orme
There’s no denying that Arsenal’s summer transfer window is off to a terrific start. They’re getting one of the most effective defensive midfielders in world football in Declan Rice, whilst Jurrien Timber adds more depth in defence.
Should Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka both leave the club, the Gunners could potentially do with another central midfielder to ensure that injuries do not bite as severely as last season. The same could certainly be said in attack, particularly on the right flank.
Academy graduate Bukayo Saka looked exhausted at the back-end of last season. A right-winger of the same quality could certainly alleviate that problem.
Nicolas Pepe has returned from his loan spell with Nice, whilst Marquinhos and Reiss Nelson are capable of playing in the position. None of the trio appear ready to step into Saka’s place though, so right-wing could potentially be a position that Arteta also targets before the end of the transfer.
Kieran King
For me, Arsenal are still lacking a natural, proven goalscorer at the top end of the pitch. Yes, they have Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Kai Havertz - but none of them are ruthless in front of goal.
The trio scored a combined 27 goals in all competitions last season. That is fewer than both Harry Kane and Erling Haaland struck individually, having grabbed 32 and 52 respectively.
Arsenal may not be able to attract either of those two or stand any chance of signing them, but someone such as Victor Osimhen, who netted 31 for Napoli, would be a more realistic target.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is in demand this summer (Getty Images)Although the Gunners are likely not to have the money to spend on the Nigerian, having coughed up almost £170m on Havertz and Declan Rice already, he is the type of player they should be targeting in the remainder of the window. This is because Osihmen has a proven track record of scoring goals at the highest level, striking 59 in 101 matches for Napoli.
As for other positions, Arsenal could do with another winger - preferably someone who can play on the right-hand side. Raphinha would be an excellent addition should they be able to lure him away from Barcelona. But a more cost-effective option in free agent Adama Traore could work out perfectly for the Gunners, given his versatility and potential when he is at the top of his game.
Fraser Watson
A glorious one-off opportunity missed or foundations built for future success?
How Arsenal's second placed Premier League finish last season will be defined ultimately rests on what happens this time around. And Mikel Arteta has already made statements of intent this summer that can give fans faith history may one day perceive their agonising 2022/23 campaign as the starting point.
Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, and Kai Havertz are signings that will ensure improvement from back to front. The question now remains, is if the Spaniard can add a world class goalscorer to the ranks, with Gabriel Jesus thus far proving productive but not prolific.
Should he do so, the notion of finally overhauling Manchester City will become a realistic one.
Arsenal Sporting Director Edu and Mikel Arteta are keen to build upon last season's success (Offside via Getty Images)Ben Husband
Rice and Havertz undoubtedly make Arsenal a better team, but there still looks a sizable gap between them and City. Guardiola’s side essentially gave the Gunners a two-month headstart before surging past them as the finishing post came into sight.
Ilkay Gundogan is a departure the City boss would have liked to avoid, but other than that there is no sign of their juggernaut slowing down at all.
Arsenal still need more strength in depth throughout their side, but in particular in midfield - if Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey depart. There is also a glaring need for a prolific goalscorer. Gabriel Jesus was a fine addition, but as City have proved he is more understudy than leading man. Still work to do.