Arsenal: Getting worried yet?

It is now early July and Arsenal have signed just one player, an 18-year-old Brazilian, Gabriel Martinelli. Is it time to start worrying about how this summer is shaping up?

Sadly for Arsenal fans, we have been here before. A squad riddled with positional needs throughout, a lack of competitive finances to invest, and a management team dallying over and delaying transfers. We know where this ends.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — The Big Season Review

In 2011, Arsenal were in a very similar position. They lost 8-2 to Manchester United and panic-bought in the final week of the window. In 2016, the same happened again. They spent £52 million on Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

And this summer is now shaping up in a similar manner to those harrowing windows of yesteryear: a lot of needs and a lack of urgency to fill those needs. The window is now two months old and will close in a little over a month and the Gunners have still only completed one official transfer, that being a roughly £6 million acquisition of an 18-year-old Brazilian attacker.

All this comes in the aftermath of head of football Raul Sanllehi — the man who is undoubtedly in charge of the transfer window — saying this:

"“What I can tell you is that we have identified very clearly and unanimously with our head coach and technical people, we know what we want to prioritise and we’re very clear on what our priorities are. We’re already in the market and we’re already talking with the people that can help us to cover those positions. I feel quite strong on the inputs that I’m getting so far. I do believe that we have a very good plan to cover those positions to be much stronger next year to deliver the success that we’re all hoping for.”"

Usually, I would not be shouting ‘panic’ from the rooftops when there is a month of a transfer window remaining. There is still plenty of time for Sanllehi and Unai Emery to get all the deals they want to get done completed. But in the context of Sanllehi proclaiming that there is a ‘very good plan’ in place, there is a greater degree of concern.

In the PR fluff-piece that Sanllehi and Vinai Venkatesham put together, they extolled the virtues of the club, gawped over the work of Unai Emery, and ambitiously restated their desire to challenge at the sharp end of the Premier League. But as has been proven time and time again with Arsenal, these words felt empty. And thus far, so it has proven.

I am not at the point of despair just yet. The whole window has been a little slow, although deals did pick up a little this week. And Arsenal have made bids for Kieran Tierney and Wilfried Zaha, so there is clearly an intention to improve the squad, but time is running out.

So no, I am not too worried yet. There is still time. But the longer this inactivity drags on, the more I am concerned and the less I trust Sanllehi’s empty promises.