Full list of Arsenal transfer targets this 2024 summer transfer window

Arsenal will be active in the 2024 summer transfer window. Mikel Arteta has made it abundantly clear that he has a long-term vision with Arsenal and he wants them to win the Premier League title before its too late. Therefore, the transfer window is a golden opportunity to bring in some fresh blood ready to take on the challenge yet again.

Not only are Arsenal expected to sign some new players but they are also expected to offload a few players too. After all, such is the nature of the sport that squad balance must be achieved, to prevent any player from feeling discontent. Factoring in the Profit and Sustainability rules also means that clubs have to consider selling before buying.

But which players are Arsenal linked to in the 2024 summer transfer window? Here is the full list of Arsenal transfer targets, as well as a breakdown of practical considerations such as their operating budget, which players they will sell, etc...

Full list of Arsenal transfer targets in the 2024 summer transfer window

1. Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna)

Riccardo Calafiori came through the infamous Roma youth system. The Serie A giants have produced some exceptional talents throughout history, particularly defenders, so it could be argued that Calafiori was destined for greatness even from a young age.

However, it wasn't to be for Calafiori in Rome. In fact, after breaking through to the first team, he made just 10 Serie A appearances before he was sold permanently to Basel (after a brief loan spell at Genoa). Then, it was the return to Serie A side Bologna in 2023 which truly escalated Calafiori's career, earning his way into the Italian national team.

Calafiori made a name for himself at EURO 2024 as one of Italy's best players. In many ways, he was a diamond in the rough for the Italian side which also featured Jorginho of Arsenal.

Calafiori is an aggressive defender and one who is very attuned to one-vs-one situations. He is comfortable in possession and has shown a keen desire to break forward, excelling in his dribbling ability. His strongest position is arguably at centre back, however, he is more than capable of playing as the left-back, which is likely why Mikel Arteta is targeting Calafiori.

Riccardo Calafiori is the player who Arsenal are mainly linked to. Arsenal presented their first bid to Bologna early in July, however, their first bid was rejected, falling just £2m short (Corriere dello Sport, July 4). However, Mikel Arteta persisted with Riccardo Calafiori and as of July 8, is close to signing him.

As things stand, Riccardo Calafiori is on the verge of signing for Arsenal. This was made clear by the infamous Fabrizio Romano "here we go" acting as a seal of approval. With all parties in agreement, Riccardo Calafiori could even join Arsenal in USA for their pre-season tour. Exciting times ahead, now we must await the always-fashionably-late official Arsenal announcement!

2. Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao)

Nico Williams appears to almost certainly be on the move this summer. The Athletic Bilbao winger is at the top of his game right now and after proving how high his ceiling is, he could certainly be in line for a big European move this summer.

Coming through the Athletic Bilbao youth ranks, he has already established himself as a club legend. Heading into the 2024 summer transfer window, Nico Williams had already made an impressive 103 Liga appearances, scoring 11 goals.

In truth, his game does not centre around his goal-scoring ability. In fact, he is mostly recognised for his incredible speed, dribbling ability and his creativity. In many ways, he is a traditional winger, the kind who you could bank on to beat his man and whip in a mean cross.

Nico Williams is linked to a handful of European giants this summer, which is not too much of a surprise. After tearing it apart for Spain at EURO 2024, the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham would all like to sign Williams. No doubt, if Spain win the Euros, the interest in Williams will only increase tenfold.

Williams is versatile and can play in most, if not all attacking positions. However, he is mostly recognised for his incredible left-wing stature. This is a position which Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli compete for in the Arsenal setup currently, so whether or not Arteta wishes to deploy Williams here or at right-wing remains to be seen but Arteta certainly wants him.

Another standout player of EURO 2024, it is no surprise that Arsenal are linked with a move for Nico Williams. The Spain winger who currently represents Athletic Bilbao is looking for a move away this summer, with Arsenal one of the interested clubs. However, Williams has revealed his preference, which is to play for FC Barcelona (Sport, July 3).

3. Dan Bentley (Wolves)

Another position which Mikel Arteta wishes to strengthen in is goalkeeper, with Aaron Ramsdale's uncertain future after EURO 2024. One of the players who he views as an ideal Ramsdale replacement is Dan Bentley of Wolves, with their latest bid reported to be around £300,000 (The Sun, 21 July).

Dan Bentley is definitely not viewed as a starter by Mikel Arteta. In fact, the English goalkeeper is still inexperienced at the top level, so it is a surprise to see Arsenal linked with a move for him. However, it has become a common practice for Arsenal to sign lesser-known players, turning them into first team contenders. It happened with Gabriel Martinelli, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior, after all.

Dan Bentley is 31 years old, so he's not on the younger side of the spectrum. That said, Mikel Arteta clearly sees something in Bentley, hence why he has submitted multiple bids for the goalkeeper at this stage.

Admittedly, a large reason why Arsenal would like to sign Dan Bentley is due to his frugal price tag. In an economy where teams are forced to be smart with their expenses, Bentley has presented a golden market opportunity to Arsenal.

Despite his inexperience at the highest level, Bentley is still held in high regard at Arsenal. He spent some time in North London in the Arsenal youth academy throughout the 2000s, before being picked up by Southend United. He never made a first team appearance for Arsenal but his career could go full circle, returning to his boyhood club

Bentley has played at multiple levels in the English football pyramid. This is similar to Aaron Ramsdale, who he is likely replacing. Therefore, Bentley will bring with him a specific appreciation for the game and a knowledge which can only be picked up by playing at these levels.

4. Viktor Gyokeres

The age-old cliche is that Arsenal need to sign a striker in the transfer window. It is a commonly made claim that this is the missing piece of Mikel Arteta's jigsaw puzzle, as if he's just one signing away from winning the Premier League.

It must be said, though, that Arsenal probably had the best attack in the world in 2024. They were firing on all cylinders without a focal point in attack and it was inspired partly by the turnaround in form of Kai Havertz. Havertz had a difficult start to life at Arsenal but he certainly turned it around at the end of last season.

Still, if the trasfer funds are there, then Mikel Arteta may wish to sign an out-and-out centre forward. I mean, why not?

Viktor Gyokeres has certainly been a consistent transfer target for Arsenal, as the Sporting Lisbon is yet again linked with a move away from Portugal. Gyokeres was one of the most in-form strikers in the 2023/24 season, scoring a whopping 34 goals and providing 12 assists last season, across all competitions (WhoScored).

Viktor Gyokeres has plenty of experience of playing in the United Kingdom. He has played for Brighton and Hove Albion, Swansea City and Coventry City during his time. This summer, it wouldn't come as much of a surprise if he made a move to a big-six Premier League side. After all, he's got everything it takes to make it as a Premier League striker.

According to a report from Caught Offside (July 24), Arsenal are keen to re-ignite their interest in Viktor Gyokeres this summer. However, the Swedish goal-scorer is also on the transfer radar of Chelsea, so Arsenal may need to be efficient, should they wish to land Gyokeres before their competitors.

The report also states that Arsenal may feel the need to sign a striker this summer, even regardless of Kai Havertz' form. After all, Gabriel Jesus is injury prone and Eddie Nketiah is linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium this summer, so it can't hurt Arsenal to pursue a new name.

Current Team Analysis

Arsenal are building great squad depth. However, with a handful of players linked with moves away, it is understandable why Arsenal are setting their standards high in this summer transfer window.

The attack is well covered, with Kai Havertz proving to be a great asset at centre forward, with Gabriel Jesus providing backup. The left-wing spot is uncertain but with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli battling for a position here, Arteta really doesn't need to sign a left-winger. Signing a backup right-winger could be a good shout, with Bukayo Saka needing backup.

The midfield is well developed. Signing Declan Rice last season has helped to maintain order and he is the kind of player who, alongside Martin Odegaard, can start every game. Jorginho signed a contract extension in May 2024, so he will still be at the club next season. However, Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe's future are unknown.

Arsenal have some great versatile defenders. All of Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior can play at centre back OR full-back. One of them is likely to leave this summer, though. My money would be on Jakub Kiwior, who receives interest from Italy. William Saliba and Gabriel are staples at centre back, whereas Oleksandr Zinchenko is a good rotational option at left-back.

Aaron Ramsdale is likely on his way out, with David Raya the new number one choice at goalkeeper. He was signed permanently, after an impressive loan spell.

Financial Considerations

Arsenal have never been the type to spend over the odds on a single player. In fact, it is a compliment to the player if they are given a high transfer value by Arsenal. Last summer, Declan Rice broke the Arsenal transfer record, being the only Arsenal player in history to be worth over £100m. That said, this trend is unlikely to be followed in the 2024 summer transfer window.

The good news for Arsenal is that many of the linked departures present a golden profit opportunity. After all, according to Football London, Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah would all represent 100% profit, which will help Arsenal to raise spending funds in line with the Profit and Sustainability rules.

So, much of the transfer budget will come from player sales. The three Hale End graduates are just a percentage of the wholesale players who could be sold by Arsenal this summer. This, in line with the cash injection from sponsorships and Champions League qualification, stands Arsenal in good stead for the transfer window.

As per Four Four Two, Arsenal having around £300m to spend is "more than possible". However, the exact figure is difficult to pinpoint, since Arsenal are not as vocal about their transfer strategy as other clubs are.

It must be stated that Arsenal spent £27m to sign David Raya from Brentford, so this has already eaten into their transfer allocation. However, a large factor at play is how well Arsenal can play their cards in the way of getting the most possible from player sales.

Fan and Expert Opinions

As mentioned, Mikel Arteta is fairly tight-lipped about his transfer strategy. This works in Arsenal's favour, since it means that they are less likely to be hijacked by other clubs. It seems that Arteta has learned from the Mykhailo Mudryk dilemma, after all.

Therefore, Arsenal fans often turn to other fans and experts to decipher which players should be signed in the summer transfer window. As anyone can imagine, the discourse surrounding transfers is one which Arsenal fans will happily volunteer to involve themselves in.

Squawka provided an excellent statistic-backed transfer shortlist to Arsenal, should they wish to use it. The stat experts have claimed that Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi and Las Palmas goalkeeper Alvaro Valles would be suitable additions to Arsenal.

The age-old cliche is that Arsenal "need to sign a striker". However, Kai Havertz proved these cliches wrong in 2024. It is expected that Mikel Arteta will go into the new season without signing a new striker. That said, a new winger, midfielder and potentially backup goalkeeper must be signed as a minimum, it seems.

Conclusion

This sums up our Arsenal summer transfer window guide. In short, fans can expect new signings to be made. Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal board are in line with the vision to succeed, so they know it will be a disappointment to fans if new signings are not made.

After all, Arsenal are encouragingly close to winning the Premier League. With the right transfers made this summer, they will only increase their likelihood of winning the league, or at least a different major honour. Now they are two seasons back into the Champions League, the pull factor is certainly high.

As the weeks go by, it is recommended to check back for further transfer updates. This post will be updated routinely with any fresh transfer news, so it is your one-stop-shop for everything Arsenal related in the 2024 summer transfer window.

FAQs

Who are Arsenal’s top transfer targets this season? Riccardo Calafiori, Nico Williams, Dan Bentley & Tommy Setford.

Which positions does Arsenal need to strengthen the most? Right-winger (backup), central midfielder & goalkeeper (backup)

How much is Arsenal’s transfer budget? An exact figure is not known. However, they could spend more than last summer (£200m), given the sheer amount of player sales rumoured.

Are there any key players expected to leave Arsenal? Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe, Aaron Ramsdale, Eddie Nketiah, Jakub Kiwior, Kieran Tierney, Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga & Thomas Partey

What impact will new signings have on the team’s performance? Arsenal have the aspirations of winning the Premier League next season. Therefore, they will target match winners and players who are capable of filling in for match winners, in the worst case scenario.