Are Arsenal taking a risk in not signing a world-class forward?

Andrea Berta (centre) replaced Edu as Arsenal’s sporting director in 2025

“Very ambitious, very fast, and very smart.”

That was manager Mikel Arteta’s aim for Arsenal’s transfer dealings following their defeat by Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final in May.

The Gunners won their first title in 22 years last season by seven points and did not lose a game in the Champions League during normal time, with their only loss in the competition coming to Luis Enrique’s side on penalties.

But it was clear coming into the summer transfer window that the club were looking for a game-changing attacker to lift their forward line.

Viktor Gyokeres - a £64m signing last summer from Portuguese side Sporting - scored 21 goals in his first season for Arsenal but his performances still raised questions about whether he is the best fit for Arteta’s side going forward.

The same debate was posed on the left wing with Leandro Trossard’s form dipping after starting the season well and Gabriel Martinelli, despite scoring six goals in the Champions League campaign, scoring just once in the league.

And now both of those players have left the club.

But finding an attacker who could elevate a squad that almost won a domestic and European double proved difficult.

Julian Alvarez played for Atletico Madrid against Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals in May

Arsenal want to be one of the best clubs in the world.

In an interview with the Times, chief executive Richard Garlick said that joining the world’s super-clubs is “the goal - that’s the ambition”.

In that same interview, Garlick acknowledged that the “pool of players is smaller now than it was a few years ago if we’re going to improve”.

And unfortunately for the Gunners, they have found that out this summer.

Sporting director Andrea Berta is known for speaking to multiple targets at once while preparing the deals simultaneously.

The Gunners went into this window with interest in Morgan Rogers, Bradley Barcola, Julian Alvarez and Vinicius Jr.

They didn’t sign any of them.

Arsenal’s pursuit of Vinicius Jr turned public and was shaped around his contract situation at Real Madrid.

Ultimately, the Spanish club offered him a bigger package than they had done before Arsenal’s interest stepped up.

But inside the club, there was a period where they thought they were going to be successful in bringing one of the best wingers in world football to north London.

Questions will be posed as to why the club did not go big for Rogers, but Arsenal stuck to their valuation of £80m before Chelsea then paid £117m for the former Aston Villa forward.

That left Julian Alvarez as the only available target in the window after Liverpool succeeded in bringing in Bradley Barcola.

Arsenal always had reservations about paying the fee needed to get Barcola too.

It appeared Alvarez’s only way out of Atletico Madrid was Arsenal, after Atleti were adamant that they would not negotiate with Barcelona.

However, Alvarez returned to training with the Spanish side and, despite Arteta’s best efforts laying out plans to the player, the deal did not come off.

Arsenal showed the strength of their squad in their win over Aston Villa on Monday night.

They brought in Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes for £75m, Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa (£55m), turned Piero Hincapie’s loan deal into a permanent one (£34.5m) and signed Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge for £34m.

Tzolis struggled in the win but has already impressed in the Community Shield victory over Manchester City and the opening day Premier League win over Coventry.

Guimaraes is being described by some as one of the signings of the window, and Konsa was statistically the best defender in the league for ground duel success (73.1%) and passing accuracy (95%) last season.

Konsa, although he brings the number of senior defenders in Arsenal’s squad to eight, was brought in because of the injuries to William Saliba and Jurrien Timber.

A big part of Arsenal’s window has been who they have let go too.

Gabriel Martinelli is close to completing a move for around £60m to Al-Hilal, which would be a record sale for the club.

Leandro Trossard has moved to Besiktas (£15.3m), while Christian Norgaard was sold to Everton (£7m).

The main worry from supporters is that they have let two forwards go who play on the left wing and brought in just one to replace them.

There is no denying that Arsenal wanted a game-changing attacker this summer - if there was one available.

Not signing one this window does leave them with the chance to act again in January or wait completely until next summer to try to bring in a new forward.

But there will be uncomfortable conversations about why there hasn’t been one during this window, even if the football leadership team are content with the business the club has done.

Questions will of course be asked of Arteta, Berta and co-chair Josh Kroenke as to why, after Arsenal’s success, such an attractive club weren’t able to get one of their targets over the line.

However, there is no denying that Arsenal’s squad is one of the best in Europe. Their bench for the win over Aston Villa contained nine full internationals with two of those - Merino and Zubimendi - World Cup winners.

Gabriel Jesus has moved to Barcelona for £12.8m, and although he was not an integral part of Arsenal’s team because of selection and fitness issues, he still made 27 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals.

With Martinelli and Trossard both gone, there will be more opportunity for Eberechi Eze to play from the left wing, a position he shone in at former club Crystal Palace.

Eze played in some of the biggest games of Arsenal’s last campaign on the left wing and put in an impressive appearance in that role in the win over Villa on Monday too.

Last season, Kai Havertz missed large parts of the campaign with injury, while Mikel Merino, another option to play at striker, missed a chunk of the season too but both have started this season fully fit.

Those injuries last season meant that Gyokeres had to lead the line for long periods without back-up in his first campaign with Arsenal, but despite that test, it does not take away that the Swedish international’s suitability is still in question.

It is also intriguing that Gyokeres has not played a minute of the opening two Premier League matches so far.

Arsenal are still looking like the early season favourites and have the potential to defend their title, but criticism surrounding the lack of a new forward will be tough to avoid if goals start to become hard to come by.

Everton sell Scotland's Patterson to Torino

Everton have sold Scotland right-back Nathan Patterson to Torino for an undisclosed fee.

The 24-year-old joined the Premier League club from Rangers for a reported £12m on five-and-a-half-year contract in January 2022 but failed to become a regular starter.

Patterson did make 68 appearances during an injury-hit time with Everton, 29 of those as a substitute, eight of them last season.

He meantime appeared six times for Scotland and, having played in all three of their World Cup group games, returned to Everton hoping to finally establish himself as a first-team regular under fellow Scotsman David Moyes.

However, the defender made his first and only appearance this season as a second-half replacement in last week’s 4-0 League Cup win away to Preston North End.

Patterson, who has 29 caps, joins international colleague Che Adams at Torino, the striker himself having been the subject of summer transfer speculation.

Have title contenders done enough in transfer window to challenge Arsenal?

Arsenal have started the new Premier League season with two wins as the transfer window closes, looking in ominous shape to retain the crown they won for the first time in 22 years last season.

The Gunners had a quiet final day to the window having concluded their business before the traditional late rush – but those hoping to unseat the reigning champions have all been busy expensively re-shaping their squads to mount a challenge.

So how do Arsenal look? And have their main rivals done enough to prevent Mikel Arteta’s side winning a second successive title?

And what are the other big issues as the Premier League’s transfer business was concluded until January?

Arsenal’s interest in Atletico Madrid’s Argentina forward Julian Alvarez did not bear fruit, despite their attempts to persuade him away from his preferred destination of Barcelona.

Alvarez’s dream move to Barcelona was emphatically blocked by the Atletico hierarchy, leaving The Gunners with hope he may take the only choice available to him to leave Diego Simeone’s side.

In the end, no deal was done – and perhaps the only flaw in Arsenal’s current make-up is whether they carry a consistent spearhead threat up front.

Elsewhere, they look formidable in all areas and still the team to beat after cruising past Coventry City and winning at Aston Villa in their opening two league games

They also dismantled Manchester City in The Community Shield, and have had an excellent transfer window to build on last season’s success, when the Premier League was won and they reached the Champions League Final.

Bruno Guimaraes, a £75m signing from Newcastle United, showed in his brief cameo in the 1-0 win against Aston Villa what he will bring - passes that cut through the home defence and a fierce competitive edge.

England defender Ezri Konsa offers instant class in defence after moving from Aston Villa, and while Christos Tzolis had a tough night at Villa Park, substituted at half-time, he has already demonstrated what an asset he could be on the left flank.

Not quite a case of “No Alvarez No Problem”, but he was hardly a deal breaker for Arsenal, who still look best equipped to win another title at the conclusion of the transfer window.

Manchester City have undergone heavy transition, from manager Pep Guardiola being replaced after 10 years by Enzo Maresca, to the departure of key figures in their glory years such as Rodri, Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Jack Grealish, as well as Savio, Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzales, James Trafford, Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders.

The burning ambition remains, however, as proved by the manner in which they have attacked the market to replenish their squad for a title tilt.

City paid £125m – equalling the British transfer record - to reunite former Chelsea manager Maresca with Enzo Fernandez, having already paid £116m to sign England midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.

And further quality arrived in the shape of Iliman Ndiaye from Everton for £65m, the brilliant Morocco 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi, who cost £85.6m from Lille, as well as Allan Elias from Palmeiras in Brazil.

It amounts to quite the rebuild, with the Fernandez deal taking City’s spending to a Premier League record £458m for a single transfer window, surpassing Liverpool’s £415m from last summer.

However, City have also achieved around £300m worth of player sales this summer, illustrating the vast turnover at the start of the post-Guardiola era.

An eventful window but one that leaves City, who still have so much class elsewhere, in good shape to mount a serious challenge.

Chelsea may have lost Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City for £125m in the final hours of the window, but the business done this summer will still delight new manager Xabi Alonso.

Alonso opened with two Premier League wins, but goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s display in the opening victory at Fulham persuaded him to finally solve a long-standing problem by signing Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa.

The list of incomings and outgoings are – as usual – almost too numerous to mention, but Morgan Rogers - a £117m signing from Aston Villa - has already formed a devastating trio in attack with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, while Maxence Lacroix is a quality defensive addition.

And in a shift in strategy, veterans Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck were brought in to add experience and their consummate professionalism to the Chelsea dressing room.

Chelsea were in the market in the final hours as well, but were bitterly disappointed when Monaco pulled the plug on their move for highly-regarded midfielder Lamine Camara as Fernandez departed.

A huge squad has no European football to offer a distraction, which is why Chelsea and Alonso could well believe they have the quality to also run close – although they remain outsiders.

Liverpool’s main task this summer after appointing Andoni Iraola to replace sacked Arne Slot, was to somehow compensate for what they would miss without Mohamed Salah after he left Anfield at the end of last season.

Bradley Barcola was the prime target and eventually signed from Paris Saint-Germain for £123m. He possesses lightning pace, creativity and goals, but he is not a like-for-like replacement for Salah, preferring to operate on the left.

Victor Munoz, a member of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad, is another wide man who has already shown what he can deliver with a spectacular equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.

Rather than simply replace Salah, Liverpool’s strategy has been to find a way to get goals from the wide positions and elsewhere rather that focus on one single player to replace the Egyptian.

All very well – but Liverpool’s opening draws against Newcastle United and Forest showed a fault which holed them below the waterline last season has not been addressed.

The lack of a natural number “6” has left a midfield imbalance that leaves them horribly vulnerable to counter-attacks. Teams can still run straight through Liverpool, but Iraola showed no inclination to make a signing in that position.

Can Liverpool cure that tendency to be exposed? This could be the flaw that stops them making amends for their dismal title defence last season.

After addressing their attack last summer when they brought in Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, United’s window this time has been about midfield renewal as Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba were signed.

Is it enough to make United serious contenders after Michael Carrick took them to third place and back into the Champions League last season after succeeding Ruben Amorim in a caretaker capacity?

Carrick is now in permanent charge, but this has been a mixed start to the season with defeat at newly-promoted Hull City before a 5-2 win against other Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town.

United decided not to make any late moves, leaving Carrick’s squad looking more like one who will realistically challenge for the top four once more but will be nowhere near the title.

Tottenham Hotspur have had a spectacular transfer window as they spent more than £300m – but results so far have been less than spectacular with two league defeats away to Brentford and at home to Newcastle United.

Roberto De Zerbi has been given huge backing, right up until the close of the window when he got his wish to bring in Mykhailo Mudryk, who played under him at Shakhtar Donetsk.

Mudryk resolved a doping case with the Football Association in July, but has not played a competitive match since November 2024.

De Zerbi must mould his host of new faces, 10 with the arrival of Tosin Adarabioyo from Chelsea, into a coherent unit, but this looks like a squad that possesses promise – with De Zerbi’s biggest task getting Spurs to ditch the losing mentality that has seen them finish 17th in the last two seasons.

Aston Villa finished fourth and won the Europa League in a season of stunning success under Unai Emery, but this is effectively the start of a new era at Villa Park.

Goalkeeper Martinez, defenders Lucas Digne and Konsa, midfielders Rogers and Tielemans, as well as striker Ollie Watkins, all left.

Parma’s Japan keeper Zion Suzuki replaced Martinez, while other arrivals included defenders Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton, Aaron Wan-Bissaka from West Ham United on loan and Matteo Ruggeri from Atletico Madrid.

Freiburg’s Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi was another arrival, along with winger Ibrahim Mbaye from Paris Saint-Germain, striker Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea and Germany veteran Leon Goretzska.

The rebuild was fleshed out with midfielder Joao Gomes arriving from Wolverhampton Wanderers and winger Alejandro Garnacho on loan from Chelsea.

It will take even the great alchemist Emery time to fashion his new team, but he has been given the materials to work his magic for another season aiming for the top four.

Man City buy costly new midfield - but have they overlooked Haaland cover?

Manchester City have completed their squad overhaul - including a fully revamped midfield - to the tune of £458m, a new Premier League record for a summer window.

But that eyewatering sum does not tell the full story.

New Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca received the full backing of director of football Hugo Viana in his first transfer window in charge after replacing Pep Guardiola. Indeed, City’s record transfer fee was twice broken this summer.

A joint-British record £125m was spent on Maresca’s former Chelsea skipper Enzo Fernandez after £116m was committed on Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. Morocco international Ayyoub Bouaddi, 18, was also brought in for £86m. The trio accounted for the bulk of City’s summer incomings.

The departures of captain Bernardo Silva, 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez means the City midfield has been completely transformed.

Senior club sources are said to be delighted by the business done not only during the past couple of months but in January too, when plans were brought forward to sign long-term targets Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi.

And if the clock is rewound further back, Manchester City’s rebuild of the team that won the 2023 Champions League really began in January 2025 after a difficult start to that season.

Just four players remain from the starting eleven and substitutes from the night they beat Inter Milan in Istanbul to win the continent’s biggest club prize.

Maresca now has the luxury of calling upon two established players in almost every position. City feel the squad is stronger at this point than at the beginning of last season which they believe has been achieved by remaining calm and trusting the transfer strategy.

However some big questions remain.

How will their new midfield signings all fit together?

And, despite the vast amount of money spent, have they actually left themselves without a back-up to Erling Haaland?

City’s expenditure of £542m on new signings since the turn of the year will grab the headlines, but it often goes under the radar how well they do at selling fringe players.

During this same period, they have recouped £334m, including £75m for Savinho, who scored only two Premier League goals during his time at City, as well as £65m for Rodri and £52m for Reijnders.

It gives City a net spend of £208m in 2026, which will be further bolstered by Tottenham’s obligation to buy Omar Marmoush for £60m at the end of his loan spell next season.

Sources had said during the summer that they were operating on a one-out, one-in policy and Maresca managed to replace almost every player that departed, aside from Nico Gonzalez and Marmoush.

With the side well stocked at left-back, it is felt that Nico O’Reilly will play more in his natural midfield position to ease the Gonzalez gap.

The club believe the record fee for Fernandez is justified by acquiring a proven winner at the highest level that will strengthen the midfield. Anderson was the summer’s number one target, while 18-year-old Bouaddi is seen as having all the attributes to develop into a world class talent.

City have won back-to-back games at the start of the Premier League season and Maresca will now have a selection dilemma each game as he possesses an embarrassment of riches to choose from.

The question is how the Italian will now fit them all together.

Fernandez, Bouaddi, and Anderson are all players comfortable across multiple positions in Maresca’s system.

Maresca has moved between a box and a diamond shape in midfield at City. The main difference between the two shapes is that the former has two natural holding midfielders and the second a single holding midfielder.

Against Bournemouth, Guehi paired Anderson at the base of midfield. O’Reilly, the left-sided attacking midfielder, was joined by right-back Rico Lewis, moving in-field to form the box.

Against Crystal Palace, left-back Josko Gvardiol and attacking midfielder O’Reilly flanked number 10 Rayan Cherki as the three ahead of Anderson in what looked like a diamond.

Anderson anchoring the midfield suggests Maresca sees him as Rodri’s successor.

While full of praise for Bouaddi, Maresca has stressed his youth, a nod to the fact that he will likely deputise for Anderson.

Bouaddi replaced Anderson against Palace and his short cameo came soon after the introduction of Mateo Kovacic. In pre-season, the Croatian appeared to be Maresca’s first choice holding midfielder but has since slid down the pecking order.

When he came on, although starting higher than Bouaddi in the midfield diamond, he dropped deep to get on the ball in holding midfield. When this happened, Bouaddi took Kovacic’s position higher up.

These rotations between holding midfield and central midfield are movements Maresca may also encourage Anderson to perform when others fill the space behind him.

When Bouaddi came on, he took up a holding midfield position, particularly in deep build-up play. Kovacic was positioned ahead of him as the right central midfielder.

But the position of these two players was fluid with Kovacic, comfortable playing as a holding midfielder, picking up these positions. Bouaddi, as a result, moved higher up the pitch. This ensured City’s retained their shape.

Versatility in the midfield four is key. Fernandez, under Maresca, was capable of playing at the base of midfield or as an attacking midfielder on both sides.

The last midfield spot, the number 10 position, has been shared between Foden and Cherki. Although Foden did play right wing against Bournemouth and Palace given City’s injuries, Maresca has spoken of his central quality.

Given Foden’s promising showings as a box-to-box midfielder last season – there is also a possibility both him and Cherki play through the middle together at some point this season.

Despite the positives around the recent window, Haaland is now City’s only first-team striker.

The 26-year-old is pivotal to the team, ending last season as the Premier League top scorer with 27 goals, and starting the new campaign by netting twice in as many games.

But should Haaland be unavailable, what are City’s options?

Marmoush wanted to play regular first-team football and was allowed to join Tottenham, while 21-year-old Divin Mubama, who did well in pre-season, joined Championship side Southampton on loan.

City believe they have enough flexibility from within their options to have not directly replaced Marmoush.

Semenyo operates mainly from the right flank but is seen as an option at number nine, having played in the position during some cup games last season.

Deadline day signing Ndiaye is another who can operate there and the £60m forward adds greater versatility and squad depth as someone who is a proven Premier League player.

However, of the forward, attacking midfield and wide options, Semenyo is the only one to get into double figures in the Premier League in the last couple of seasons.

Cherki, Jeremy Doku and Ndiaye have never hit that mark, while Foden is clearly capable, having hit 19 Premier League goals in 2023-24, but has struggled for consistent form in the last two seasons.

Unless a couple of those step up, it could be one to watch if Haaland either needs to be rested or gets injured.

Sosa joins Cologne on season-long loan

Crystal Palace defender Borna Sosa has joined Bundesliga club Cologne on a season-long loan deal.

The 28-year-old, who signed for the Eagles from Ajax in July 2025, made 18 appearances last season.

Sosa was also part of Crystal Palace’s Conference League-winning campaign, featuring six times and helping to keep four clean sheets.

It will be the Croatia international’s second spell in the Bundesliga, having played for Stuttgart between May 2018 and September 2023.