Arsenal's next transfer priority once Edu completes £45million Gabriel Jesus deal for Arteta

Arsenal spent more money in the last summer transfer window than any other Premier League club last year and it already looks like they’ll be close to repeating that feat this time around as Mikel Arteta hopes to bolster his squad ahead of the new season.

The Spanish coach built a small squad for the 2021/22 campaign as the Gunners had no European football to distract their domestic schedule, though that hampered them in the final weeks of the season as they chased Champions League qualification.

Injuries to Takehiro Tomiyasu, Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney weakened their chances of finishing in the top four, with bitter rivals Spurs pipping them to Champions League football at the end of the campaign. The Gunners will now play in the UEFA Europa League next season and will need a bigger squad to deal with the rigours of playing twice a week if they want to progress in as many competitions as possible.

The state of play at the start of the transfer window meant that Arteta and sporting director Edu had several key positions that needed strengthening, not least the forward line following the departures of both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January and Alexandre Lacazette upon the expiry of his contract.

To that end, Eddie Nketiah was signed to a new five-year deal while the club are expected to sign Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus for £45million, with the Premier League champions happy to sanction his transfer after securing the services of Norwegian powerhouse Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.

Arsenal have already brought in 19-year-old winger Marquinhos from Sao Paulo and central midfielder Fabio Vieira from Porto, with the latter arriving at a cost of around £34million. New England Revolution