This summer, the club has finally gotten things underway with a deal. The disappointment for most was that it was clear how likely it was that David Raya’s loan from Brentford last summer would be made permanent for many months.
As such, nearly a month since the window officially opened, this is nearly all there is to show for the work done thus far. All of which, England and Gareth Southgate might well point out at this point, counts for nothing unless it’s not how you start but how you finish. The tricky part is henceforth involved for Arsenal: they have a lot of work to do, and it is their wish that there will no dragging out of the whole thing.
The most effective clubs—as Arsenal have been in the past two and a half years—don’t get snared into the rush at the end of the window. With so much to do, possibly even finding a new striker and central midfielder, the summer is set to be a busy period for the Gunners.
They will start initial pre-season training in the coming weeks, with returning players from international duty testing Mikel Arteta’s management skills. Then, it is off to the United States for a tour and some matches to get his group ready for an attempt to push that bit further in what will hopefully be a Premier League title race once again.
What will the squad shape up like on the opening day? How different will it all look by the end of August? All we know for certain at the moment is that Raya will definitely be amongst them, but really, we already knew that.