Arsenal's summer target risks making a mockery of Mikel Arteta's brazen transfer promise

Arsenal are still in pole position to end their agonising five-year exile from the Champions League despite their disappointing endeavours in the January transfer window.

But after the Gunners' hopes of pinching a top-four finish were given a boost without them even kicking a ball due to some favourable results, focus has seemingly started to tentatively shift to the Londoners summer plans.

Mikel Arteta is still in the midst of the ambitious rebuild that he started in earnest since his appointment back in December 2019 - and he'll be hoping to wrap up some big business this summer after a quiet January.

Arsenal's top priority in the summer will undoubtedly be sourcing the elite striker that Arteta has craved all season.

After being linked with a host of top names from around Europe, the Gunners are now reportedly on the trail of Chelsea loan star Armando Broja, who has made the step up to the Premier League this term with aplomb.

But pursuing the Albanian hotshot would completely contradict the brazen transfer promise that Arteta issued just weeks ago.

The Spaniard defended Arsenal's decision to keep their powder dry after missing out on a deal for Dusan Vlahovic by insisting that the club were only interested in "the best players" rather than making signings for the sake of it.

"Edu and his team did a fantastic job and they continue to do that," said the Arsenal chief at the start of the month.

"We only want the best players and the best people in this club. When we are in a rush and the reasons are not right for getting a player into the club, we decide not to do it."

While that stance is admirable, it feels inevitable that those words will come back to haunt Arteta.

And the fact that Arsenal are now targeting a