What will Arsenal look like as new season approaches?

With the arrival of new players to north London and the departure of old names, Arsenal will be looking to have a vastly different outfit available to that of last season. Defender Nuno Tavares and midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga are exciting, youthful innovations for Mikel Arteta’s side, while the impending signing of Ben White from Brighton should help to solidify the middle of the defensive backline for the Gunners, alongside Gabriel Magalhaes.

And between Granit Xhaka, who is supposedly close to his move to AS Roma, and Alexandre Lacazette who continues to be rumored as a target of Atletico Madrid, many other players are still in talks to leave the club during this summer window. David Luiz is gone, and Willian wishes for the same while other familiar names have followed out of the door or are rumored to be.

Matteo Guendouzi is already off to Marseille on a one-year loan deal with an obligation to buy in the following year, while Lucas Torreira is still eyeing either a return to his home nation or to Italy; Hector Bellerin is too, currently locked in talks for a loan to Inter. There are so many other rumors and reports of course, yet listing them is not the sole purpose of this piece.

What might Arsenal look like next season? With rumors about the sales of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Joe Willock in a continued bid to raise funds for further improvements, it is on secret that Arsenal is looking for wholesale change this summer. Arteta will be looking to show real innovation in the way his team is constructed and manned, as well as how they play week to week and function even when things aren’t looking great.

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What will Arsenal look like as new season approaches with transfer targets aplenty but no major first team additions this summer window so far?

While the Gunners have re-signed other players on their squad as well, like Emile Smith Rowe who will be the number ten officially going forward, there is, I believe, still a big need for some creativity in the middle of the park, as well as toughness. I’m sure this is something that everyone is acutely aware of, as the interest in Italy and Sassuolo’s Manual Locatelli demonstrated, yet it must be addressed by moving in some direction, whatever it ends up being.

Julian Brandt has been someone I’ve spoken about before, but I doubt Borussia Dortmund would part with him in the midst of the sales of at least one star player, and possibly a second too. Houssem Aouar has also been someone I’ve gone on about in the past, yet figuring out his situation remains more difficult to divine than most players; should he leave Lyon, it would also be massive with the recent sale of their other chief star, Memphis Depay, to Barcelona. It’s obvious Arsenal are lukewarm on his signature.

So who does that leave? Renato Sanches? Perhaps a cheap (but also not cheap) reunion with Aaron Ramsey, still of Juventus, or Bernardo Silva of Manchester City? I would not be against any of them, for varying reasons.

Ruben Neves remains someone worth discussing if Arsenal were able to get him, and his impact could be as large as the aforementioned names as well. Denis Zakaria might be a cheaper alternative than the aforementioned Brandt and the departing Xhaka, and could also offer some toughness as well.

The proper mixture of these names might produce some real magic on the pitch with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gabriel Martinelli, Nicolas Pepe, and whoever else might be yet to join these assured Gunners. Alternatively, the wrong mixture could produce another year of disappointments for Arsenal and the ultimate ousting of Arteta, and even Edu.

Truth is, the starting lineup may not look all too dissimilar despite the extensive work being done behind the scenes.

As players continue to be moved out on loan deals and capital is stacked accordingly so as to procure the next great player back onto the club from elsewhere, everything is still very much up on the air. Anything might happen still, and so all supporters should be full of energy and excitement at this time.

With the right additions, the 4-3-3 that Arteta loves to employ most frequently could really be frightening and intimidating. Without European football, domestic football will be the only focus of the club this season, and should mean that this new group of players, with another year under the boss for those that remain, should be showing more life and energy themselves this year; the run they went on at the end of the season last year is proof of their ambition to be sure.

Arsenal have this chance, but will they seize it? Or will they let it simply slip away?