After Tzolis, Arsenal could easily complete four deals to pull off dream transfer window

Arsenal have completed their first major signing of the summer transfer window, securing a move for Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis.

The Greek arrives in a £34 million deal as a direct replacement for the departing Leandro Trossard, who has joined Besiktas for £17 million. Having scored 22 goals and provided 29 assists last season in the Belgian Pro League, Tzolis should elevate the floor of the Gunners' attack, although no one is under the illusion that his signing will be sufficient for Mikel Arteta's team to mount another serious assault on all four competitions.

In fact, there is hope that finally sealing this deal could ignite Arsenal's transfer window, kicking sporting director Andrea Berta into gear after a somewhat laboured start. Fans have started to grow restless about the lack of transfer activity, and while this is almost certainly just typical supporter hysteria, work does need to accelerate as pre-season approaches.

The Gunners could still easily enjoy something of a dream window. All this would take is addressing the four areas they need to bolster, with four relatively plausible deals for excellent players very much on the table.

John Stones

Arsenal received good news on Wednesday on the injury front, as it was revealed that William Saliba won't require surgery on his back. That said, the Frenchman is still expected to miss an extended period of football, meaning the Gunners still need to dip into the market to add a centre-back to their ranks.

However, no surgery for Saliba means they may no longer need to invest heavily in a defender who is prepared to play the bulk of the minutes next term. Instead, a short-term stopgap option is now a viable solution. Someone who can rotate in and out of the side with Cristhian Mosquera in the opening months of the season, but who can accept becoming somewhat redundant when Saliba returns.

John Stones is the perfect candidate, and a deal for him should be relatively straightforward to enact. If the Gunners spend in excess of £50m on a target like Ezri Konsa, this would eat into their overall budget, and the Aston Villa man may end up not playing all that much when Saliba is available, rendering this a poor use of resources.

However, this won't be an issue with Stones, who doesn't require a transfer fee and is arguably at a similar level to Konsa anyway, as shown by their recent displays at the World Cup for England.

Bruno Guimaraes

A deal for Bruno Guimaraes is already in the works, with the Gunners already speaking to intermediaries who are in touch with the Brazilian's representatives about a switch to the Emirates.

The potential stumbling block is the fee. Newcastle United are said to be holding out for upwards of £80 million, while Arsenal have thus far refused to go above around £65 million.

With the player keen on the move, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the two clubs eventually compromise, or for Arsenal to simply fold and fork out what the Magpies want. Berta is probably aware of the fee that will get the deal done, so this should be one he can pull off with relative ease.

Guimaraes is the best midfielder Arsenal can feasibly fetch this summer, with his addition allowing Arteta to carefully reintegrate Declan Rice next term.

Bradley Barcola

With Morgan Rogers out of the equation, Arsenal are running out of genuine left-wing targets. Yan Diomande, Kenan Yildiz and Nico Williams are all options, although the first two are unlikely to be available or likely to go elsewhere, while the Athletic Club star won't exactly get the pulses of Gunners supporters racing.

Bradley Barcola may be the only really exciting option available, and even he comes with caveats. Paris Saint-Germain are likely to use deals for Rogers and Anderson as a framework for how they price their prized asset.

That said, Arsenal may need to accept the prospective fee and simply pay up, given the lack of alternatives. If Diomande joins as PSG, as expected, that will surely free Barcola up to leave, and North London is the most likely destination for him.

Julian Alvarez

While Guimaraes, Barcola and Stones are neccessary signings in areas that desperately need bolstering, Julian Alvarez would be something of a cherry on the top - a bonus addition that could take the Gunners from marginal title favourites to nailed-on title favourites.

The Argentine may seem ungettable due to the prospective price tag Atletico Madrid are likely to demand, although the veracity of the links to him makes the dream seem like a potential reality. By all accounts, he's Arteta's dream signing, and the Spaniard often gets what he wants.

Barcelona may be Alvarez's idyllic destination, but the Catalan giants probably don't have the financial capacity to land his signature, while Atletico are staunchly against selling to their rivals. The Madrid club may even sanction his depature to Arsenal just to spite la Blaugrana.

Berta has already signed Alvarez in his sporting director career, taking him from Manchester to the Spanish capital in the summer of 2024. There's no reason why he can't repeat this feat in 2026.

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