My Arsenal Summer Shopping List

Before England's World Cup kicks off and everything becomes manic I thought I'd try and lie out my Arsenal summer shopping list, identifying the profiles that I'd like to see us address this summer. I'm deliberately focusing on profiles rather than individual players here as I feel it somewhat represents how the market functions these days. It's all well and good wanting a player but when Championship clubs start slapping £80m price tags on their midfielders (not naming any names) you have to start getting creative. We'll see how those stances hold up by the end of the window but for now I'll present to you what I believe we need, and lets see how many the club can deliver.

1.) A Snappy Shooter

I feel with the way the Premier League is developing and the minimisation of spaces, having attackers who are quick to release shots and can generate maximal power while doing so is valuable.

For all his strengths, Gyökeres' best work has arguably come in the Champions League where play is a little more stretched and he's able to get the ball out of his feet before executing his final action. For me, one of the reasons we've seen far less success from him in the Premier League is because you're simply not afforded that space. Particularly against Arsenal there are often 10 men behind the ball, compacted into a ridiculously small area.

Havertz excels at finding space outside that block but isn't always the killer we need in games like Forest (A). To exploit this, you really need an attacker who can pick up the ball under pressure, swivel, and hit. The guys I've included above are just a few examples but this is where I believe our next evolution is. There's still room for Havertz, Gyökeres and co. but we need a volume shooter who can turn the game on its head, and I'm not sure either of those fit that bill.

2.) A locomotive midfielder

As a friend of mine on Twitter eloquently put it 'we need a plug and play for Rice'. Despite all his superpowers, Rice can't and shouldn't have to play 60+ games a season for Arsenal. He near enough does and his level while doing so is hard to comprehend at times, but a fully fit Rice is one of the world's best, and we shouldn't be wasting those legs against lesser opposition.

As a result, it's clear that he needs some help in midfield and a backup that can replicate at least some of what he does. The problem is that isn't easy. For me, the most important feature of Rice's game that we severely miss when he's absent is his 'ground-eating' capabilities and the work he gets through.

Lewis-Skelly, Zubimendi & Merino are all excellent players in their own right but they don't quite have that ability. There's a whole host of midfielders on the market right now that tick this box but unfortunately they aren't going cheaply. I'll admit that Elliot Anderson would've comfortably have been my first pick but at a valuation of around £120m I don't blame the club for steering away.

With the 'snappy shooter' being something of a marquee signing, I feel this is a position that can be looked at as a market opportunity. There are enough players out there.

3.) An overlapping RB

I've been a staunch believer in Ben White ever since he put on an Arsenal shirt but for me his time at this club is coming to an end. I don't doubt his ability when fully fit but those occasions are becoming fewer and farther between and we need someone who can rotate with Timber.

With Timber's strengths obviously being defensively and in more central spaces, it seems obvious for his alternative to be someone who gives us solutions further forward. It's likely this RB will be called upon during easier games in which Timber's skill set is less valuable and we need a 6th attacker to overload oppositions.

White's overlapping capabilities will be hard to replicate but I've always felt we've lacked a real crosser in that position. Even less so than the other items on my 'shopping list', I genuinely don't know who the best answer to this is. What I do see though, are players who can whip those early crosses in against unsettled defences and create chances out of very little - another way I feel you can answer the questions these resolute Premier League defences pose.

If we can find someone who can cross and overlap decently, and is willing to rotate with Timber, then I think we'll have done a pretty good job here.

4.) A superstar winger

I'll save the biggest one until last. We've all known it for a while now but Arsenal need a superstar attacker. For all our defensive superpowers it's impossible to watch PSG vs Bayern and not feel a sense of jealousy.

There are certainly ways in which we could have platformed our existing attackers better, but there's no replacement for superstar quality and that's something we're lacking. This is a delicate position because many of these stars aren't typically used to defending in the way Arteta expects. However, it's time to make the most of our global pull and find someone willing to take on the responsibility of being a main man for us in attack.

As for the profile, I like someone who is willing to use the touchline (hence, I'd rather avoid Rogers LW) and someone with the directness to square up a defender and go either way. Martinelli is a little predictable at times and Trossard lacks the explosiveness. Put the money on the table and sign someone who you don't have to make excuses for. Someone who strikes fear into defenders. They won't come cheap, but this is how you build a dynasty.

In all, this doesn't feel like a window where we've got many holes to plug. Most of the additions are direct replacements and upgrades of players that are leaving. The lack of necessity allows resources to be concentrated on only a few - and that's something that greatly excites me.

P.S. I focused this article on direct first team additions. I have so much time for forward-thinking transfers like Monga who will keep this club at the top for even longer.