Arsenal: Is Ivan Gazidis’ ‘more’ actually more?

Ivan Gazidis has stated that there will be ‘more to come’ in regards to potential Arsenal signings. But does that just mean the expected ones or does it actually mean more?

It feels weird to be sitting here, not even in July, with Arsenal having potentially finished their summer business in regards to potential incomings. It is usually at this point that I am panicking about the lack of activity and the inefficiency of the club. But this year, the Gunners have been proactive, swift and, hopefully, effective.

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Although there are still many sales to make, and they will be made over the coming weeks, including a myriad of loan departures that happen every year, the reported £50 – £70 million budget has been all but spent.

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That said, only two official signings have actually been made — Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen in an approximate £20 million move and Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer after his contract at Juventus expired. But there are another two that are seemingly complete, even if they have not yet been officially announced — Sokratis from Borussia Dortmund for £17.6 million and Lucas Torreira for £26 million.

The question, then, is if there will be any more. Four signings is about par for the course for Arsenal in the summer window — they have averaged four a year over the past four summer windows — and they are allegedly not exactly flush with cash, so perhaps it is sensible to assume that this is it.

But speaking at a fan Q&A, Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis admitted that there could be more:

"“We’ve signed two new players so far this summer and there will be more to come.”"

Gazidis is not including the impending deals for Torreira and Sokratis that have not yet been made official but are, per almost all reports, all but completed. And so, this begs the question: Does Gazidis mean ‘more’ as in the two that are expected, or does he actually mean ‘more’ as beyond what is already widely known?

Obviously, I do not know the answer to that question. Only time will tell and, by the end of the transfer window, we will be able to look back on his comments and evaluate what he meant by them. But I do believe that there could be more to this summer window than many perhaps think.

Perhaps that is the optimist in me that peeks out at this time of year. But I do feel that Gazidis, alongside Sven Mislintat and Unai Emery, really wants to overhaul this squad, introducing a new culture at the very foundations and changing the whole fabric of the organisation. And that will take major change, which could well include some big players sold and others bought.

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What Gazidis means by ‘more’, no one knows but him and a few select others. Time will tell. But, for now, it’s okay to dream just a little about what could be to come.