By Cameron Sheath

It’s almost November, and having mentioned both Ezri Konsa and Bruno Guimaraes in recent posts, as well as Arsenal’s left-hand side, it felt like a good time to cast an eye back to the club’s summer business. I’ve also written about Arsenal Women’s influx of new faces in the summer, so perhaps there’s just something in the air.

A Missed Opportunity

I had a working theory heading into the weekend that the Konsa signing was reactionary, and that Arteta simply reverted to type after missing out on Vinicius Jr, and with Julian Alvarez already looking unlikely. Having gone over the dates, I’m not convinced either way, but I maintain that while Arsenal were interested in Konsa heading into the summer, the decision to sign him took a while.

Konsa signed for Arsenal on August 20 (all dates in this article are based on web searches and general reporting), just a day before the team opened up its Premier League campaign at home to Coventry. With the extent of William Saliba’s injury known since June, and Jurrien Timber also known to be unavailable for the start of the season, it seems odd to me that Arsenal would wait that long.

Andrea Berta is a frustrating negotiator, but reported haggling with Villa supposedly moved the needle by a mere £5million (yes, that’s obviously a lot of money; but still). The internet was well aware of Arsenal’s interest all summer and reports of a potential bid surfaced in mid July. Add to that, that Arsenal were ‘no-chain’ buyers, and Villa’s obvious preference for the deal to be done swiftly, and the hesitation is strange.

Leandro Trossard joined Besiktas on July 15, and eight days later, Arsenal signed Christos Tzolis. That one was a classic Berta one-in-one-out move, but between those two transfers, Chelsea signed Morgan Rogers. Rogers had long been expected to join Arsenal, and quite how he ended up at Chelsea bewildered many, but it seemed that Arsenal (Berta) had dropped a clanger.

Having gone through many articles, podcasts, etc. the general belief is that Arsenal believed they would sign Rogers for around £90million, but Berta delayed, and City agreed a £116million deal for Elliot Anderson, warping the market. Arsenal were then unwilling to match Villa’s understandable new valuation, allowing Chelsea to swoop in.

We’ll never know the full extent of what goes on at a football club, but when it comes to Arsenal’s left wing position, I believe Rogers, Vini Jr., and Julian Alvarez were all genuine targets at various stages, but that Rogers was the only one the club were especially confident of landing. Arteta will have been very frustrated with Berta for missing out on Rogers, especially given the months of groundwork that goes into identifying a target like that.

Pivots and Process

Neither Vini Jr. and Alvarez made it a secret that they had other preferences ahead of Arsenal, but while Alvarez had clearly made his mind up early, I think Vini would have considered Arsenal if Real Madrid hadn’t bowed to his wage demands. Not that it matters now, but I think the Vini saga was a spontaneous piece of hopeful mid-summer opportunism, while Alvarez was a genuine target heading into the window.

Either way, two days after Vinicius signed his new contract, Arsenal signed Bruno Guimaraes. Technically, the sale of Norgaard was announced the day before the Vini news, but despite the sketchy and often-frantic nature of transfers, I fully believe Arsenal would have known about that at least a couple of days before.

Within two weeks of missing out on one of the best left wingers in the game, Arsenal had spent roughly £130million on a central midfielder and a centre back. I understand that transfers don’t get done in a few days, and that the groundwork may already have been done for Bruno, but the way Berta gets all the relevant ducks in a row before pulling the trigger makes his decisions more decipherable than most.

An Insight Into Arteta’s Mind

When Arteta spoke to Sky Sports following Arsenal’s title win, he revealed that his defensive leanings last season were simply down to that being the strength of the squad, and not a personal preference.

‘I thought, “Can we score 100 goals to day with the resources that we have?… can somebody score 35 goals? No. So how are we going to win 40-odd games to achieve what we want?” It was our biggest strength , this one. “Okay, we need to be the best in the world at doing this and the other ones, we’re going to have to be very close to be the best in the world; but we are not the best.”‘

When asked by Roman Kemp in a separate interview about what he wanted his legacy to be when it came to his style of play, he replied that his style will always be determined by what is needed to win at any given time.

‘You know, if you are in the motorway and there is an accident. “Yeah, but I have a Ferrari. Yeah, but I cannot go 200km an hour because there is a lock here, my friend. You got to go around.”‘

When it was announced that Vinicius was staying in Madrid, I genuinely expected Arsenal to have Alvarez, or another top attacking signing, announced within a matter of a few days. It was a clear area of need, and there was no way the club didn’t have an alternative waiting in the wings. That obviously didn’t happen and, but for a few clickbait links here and there, it didn’t feel like Arsenal were seriously pursuing anyone.

The Alvarez stuff hung around until late on deadline day, and I’m sure Berta had his phone on him, but I firmly believe the club had long given up hope by then. The manager stated many times that it would take a special talent to improve his squad, but with Trossard out the door and Gabriel Martinelli on his way to Saudi Arabia, where was the logic in not adding someone beyond Tzolis?

Many players have said that playing for Arteta has changed the way they view the game, and that the Spaniard has opened their eyes in many ways. Whilst aware that I’ll never know what it’s truly like at the professional level, and that there are nuances that I’ve not even considered, I like to think that I’ve got a pretty good understanding of the game.

That being said, I had one such moment with Arteta when Arsenal traveled to Newcastle in May of 2023. The manager chose to start Jorginho ahead of Thomas Partey, despite Newcastle’s ferociously physical midfield. The Ghanaian would have been the obvious choice, but Jorginho was named Man of the Match in a 2-0 win, with Arteta explaining that Arsenal would have lost the physical battle in midfield either way, so it made no sense to prioritise that side of the game.

As someone who loves tactical nuance (just ask my Leyton Orient team in Football Manager 26), I was both dazzled and humbled by that reasoning, and I’ve often thought about it since. It bares a lot of symmetry with his explanation of Arsenal’s strengths last season, and looking back, I think it informed the way the club went about the summer.

There were countless wingers that Arsenal could have signed ahead of this season. But if the players that would have allowed you to challenge the best in the world in that department were uninterested, or are set to waste the next few years of their career at Chelsea, then it’s no longer an area that Arteta will prioritise.

Berta dropped the ball with Rogers, who was clearly Arsenal’s key target in that area, with only Alvarez behind him on the shortlist, and Vinicius a brief distraction. When it became clear that the top options were gone, the club doubled down on the areas where they are the best in the world.

It was hoped that Arsenal would be able to take the handbrake off this season, and I believe the manager would love the opportunity to do so. But until he is provided with the necessary attacking talent to dominate the Premier League in that area, he will continue to play the way that give us the best chance of winning.

Konsa, Tzolis, and Bruno have all contributed massively already this season, and Arsenal sit on top of the Premier League, level on points with a team that could be wiped from history in a few months. As disappointing summers go, Arteta appears to have masterminded progress once more.