British Media: Arsenal Had Over 20 Players on Summer Transfer List, Spending Nearly £450 Million in 12 Months

According to British media reports, before the summer transfer window opened, Arsenal prepared a list of more than 20 targets, aiming to use the momentum of being Premier League champions to strengthen the squad.

Entering the summer window as Premier League champions, Arsenal were full of optimism about the future. Inside the Emirates Stadium, there was a belief that with rivals facing management turmoil and periods of transition, this was the ideal time for Arsenal to make moves in the transfer market. Arsenal's recruitment plan was highly ambitious, with more than 20 targets from clubs including Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and even Tottenham. However, after the window closed, at least among some supporters, there was a feeling of disappointment that the club had not fully completed its objectives.

Arsenal's summer window contained both undeniable successes and difficulties and setbacks. Before the home match against Chelsea, British media reviewed Arsenal's transfer operations and examined whether manager Arteta, sporting director Berta and owner Kroenke Sports & Entertainment could consider this summer's work a success.

Signing Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United for £75 million was Arsenal's most eye-catching addition. After the summer began, Arsenal had monitored Guimaraes' situation at Newcastle, although other players were considered higher priorities. For example, Arsenal's interest in Elliot Anderson was widely reported, but Manchester City eventually signed the England international. Guimaraes' former Newcastle teammate Sandro Tonali and Bournemouth's Alex Scott were also midfielders Arsenal had assessed before accelerating the Guimaraes deal. Tonali and Scott, aged 26 and 23 respectively, are younger than Guimaraes, who turns 29 in November, but factors including feasibility and price (Tonali joining Tottenham for at least £92 million) made those deals difficult. Aston Villa's Amadou Onana was also considered, but the Belgian international suffered a serious knee injury at the World Cup.

By mid-June, Guimaraes, who had widespread support inside the Emirates Stadium, had become Arsenal's top target. Berta had a close relationship with the player's representatives, and Guimaraes was highly admired by Arteta, who made clear his desire to add proven immediate quality to improve the starting lineup. Berta used his strong connections with Guimaraes' agent team to help complete the transfer, which was why Newcastle consistently insisted they only had direct contact with the London club in the days before the deal was completed. Berta prefers negotiating through intermediaries, a method that has produced mixed results. For example, Arsenal strongly pursued Leicester City's young players Monga and Louis Page, but sources insisted there was a lack of direct communication between the clubs, resulting in neither player joining Arsenal. Monga moved to Manchester City when he appeared close to joining Arsenal. Despite this, when other targets proved impossible, Berta successfully guided the club toward the Guimaraes deal, which was viewed positively inside Arsenal.

Signing Konsa was also complicated. Internally, Konsa was considered Arteta's preferred choice for the defense. Arteta wanted players familiar with the Premier League, which was one reason behind pursuing Guimaraes, Konsa and the unsuccessful attempt to sign Morgan Rogers from Villa. Konsa's ability to play at right-back was also viewed as a major advantage. Arsenal considered signing a specialist right-back, with Fresneda among the candidates, but Konsa's versatility was a key factor. However, Berta appeared unwilling to meet Villa's valuation. A week before Konsa's transfer was confirmed, Arsenal made a £40 million offer, which Villa rejected. Sources said the deal was eventually finalized at owner level between the two clubs, with a £51 million fee plus £4 million in add-ons. It was reported that if the Konsa deal had failed, Tottenham's Cristian Romero and Van de Ven were alternatives, but Arsenal's north London rivals would not consider selling to them. Como center-back Jacobo Ramon remains a player Arsenal will monitor, but clauses in his current contract make a deal difficult. Muharemovic, who joined Leeds United, was also considered.

In attack, Tzolis' performances after joining from Club Brugge for around £35 million led to him being described as one of the discoveries of the summer. The potential deal was reportedly first proposed during the off-season by an intermediary close to senior members of the coaching staff. Berta's deputy Micheli watched Tzolis represent Greece against Sweden in June and was impressed. So far, the 24-year-old appears to be a positive addition to Arteta's squad. Arsenal also converted Hincapie's loan into a permanent transfer and signed goalkeeper Meslier on a free transfer, with the club satisfied with its completed additions.

Guimaraes and Konsa will both be 30 by the end of next season, and their combined £126 million transfer cost has raised some questions, with concerns that their longevity could affect the squad's natural renewal. However, there is no doubt that Guimaraes and Konsa have added elite quality and experience to Arsenal, and the club ultimately believes it paid market value to complete the deals.

Berta's goal of adding a top attacker ended in disappointment. Rogers was Arsenal's primary target after entering the transfer window. Early signs were positive, with strong internal belief that the forward wanted to join. At the start of the summer, Arsenal learned that Villa valued Rogers at £100 million, while Arsenal valued him at £80 million. Berta was confident he could negotiate the price to a level where he believed a deal could be completed. At the same time, Berta assessed alternatives, with Barcola, Kenan Yildiz, Jan Diomande and Nico Paz all receiving attention. Anthony Gordon was a long-term target, but he had agreed to join Barcelona before the World Cup. Yildiz and Paz remain realistic future targets. Arsenal will also continue monitoring Bournemouth's Kroupi after his recovery from injury.

Anderson's £116 million move from Forest to Manchester City changed Villa's view of Rogers' future. Villa increased their valuation to £120 million, and Chelsea eventually signed the attacker for £117 million. Arsenal reportedly had the opportunity to match Chelsea's offer but declined, believing their £80 million valuation was fair. This raised the question: if Berta had acted earlier, would Rogers now be an Arsenal player? Failing to sign Rogers was the first major setback in Berta's effort to bring a top left-sided attacker to the club.

Arsenal genuinely believed they had a chance to sign Vinicius until he decided to renew with Real Madrid. Berta and Arteta invested significant effort into the pursuit, and the club was willing to provide the necessary funds. Although the transfer could have broken the British transfer record and become one of the largest salary packages in Premier League history, Arsenal were prepared to complete it because of the potential improvement to Arteta's team and the Brazilian star's commercial value. However, reliable sources told British media this summer that Vinicius did not want to leave Real Madrid. Others worried Arsenal were being used to help the forward secure a better contract at the Bernabeu. Those concerns proved accurate, as Vinicius signed a new long-term deal in Spain and Arsenal were disappointed again.

There were similar reservations regarding Arsenal's pursuit of Julian Alvarez. The Atletico Madrid forward showed little indication that he wanted to join Arsenal and was widely believed to prefer Barcelona. However, Atletico firmly refused to sell him to Barcelona, which Berta and Arteta viewed as enough reason to remain hopeful that Alvarez could change his mind until the final days of the window. Instead, Alvarez preferred to stay at Atletico despite his relationship with the club being at a historic low. Whether Arsenal wasted time on Vinicius and Alvarez remains a matter of opinion.

When the possibility of Alvarez became unlikely, Berta began exploring other options. Interestingly, Arsenal have long admired Chelsea forward Joao Pedro, but he was considered unavailable during the summer, while there were also concerns about how he would fit into Arteta's system. Reports said Berta relied heavily on his extensive agent network rather than existing club scouting information when analyzing the market. For example, last summer, when all scouting information pointed toward Sesko, Berta's arrival led the club to turn toward Gyokeres, who is currently the second-choice striker option. This summer, the club's brief contact with Lyon winger Malick Fofana further demonstrated Berta's reliance on agent relationships, as agency Roc Nation presented Arsenal with the opportunity to sign the Belgian international. Berta's relationship with Roc Nation was particularly notable this summer because Arsenal pursued Vinicius and negotiated Martinelli's sale, with both players clients of the agency.

The impact of Arsenal failing to sign a recognized top attacker on the season remains to be seen, especially with Martinelli and Trossard departing. Arsenal entered the transfer window with a clear objective: making player trading more sustainable and efficient. Part of this instruction was to ensure compliance with domestic and European financial regulations. Regardless of who they negotiated with, the scale of potential deals for Vinicius or Alvarez could have raised questions about Arsenal's ability to comply with financial rules. Nevertheless, maximizing returns from player sales will become increasingly important for Arsenal's future financial operations. Martinelli's £60 million move to Al Hilal, a club record sale including a future sell-on clause, has already demonstrated this. Departures of Martinelli, Trossard, Jorge Jesus, Norgaard, Kiwior, Fabio Vieira and Karl Hein generated around £114 million in income for the club.

Through intermediaries, a possible departure for Lewis-Skelly was also explored, with his transfer fee believed to be around £80 million. Manchester United were interested in his ability to play left-back but ultimately considered the valuation too high. Berta's role is to clearly understand market interest and values for the club's players, but the possibility of Lewis-Skelly leaving still caused strong fan dissatisfaction. As British media reported last month, Arsenal rejected any temptation to permanently sell Nwaneri, with the academy graduate joining Borussia Dortmund on loan for a season and a clause allowing a January recall if required. Trossard's move to Besiktas for at least £15 million was also viewed internally at the Emirates as good business, given the Belgian will turn 32 in December.

After spending nearly £450 million over 12 months, Berta's work in the transfer market helped the club win its first league title in 22 years. However, despite heavy spending, clear issues remain in the squad, especially in attack. This summer window has caused many fans to question Berta's work at Arsenal. With Konsa and Guimaraes arriving, the squad's average age has increased, and the question remains whether the current group can build a successful dynasty before the club needs to invest heavily again to rebuild.