After Arsenal lost out on the Premier League title, Mikel Arteta has urged the team to be “more ambitious” in their transfer plans.
The club is looking to sign a top striker before their preseason tour, with Brian Brobbey of Ajax and Alexander Isak of Newcastle United at the top of the list, in order to complete what they hope is a championship-winning squad.
Plans for the upcoming season are well underway for Mikel Arteta, who intends to bring in three players who are on the first team and trade out three or four.
They had already given buying a striker some thought in January, as it was long considered the crucial component lacking. Ivan Toney was being considered back then, but Arsenal was turned off by Brentford’s £100 million asking price.
and since then, he has been much less of a target.
As The Independent has reported, Isak has been the preferred alternative, although it is known that Newcastle would probably refuse to sell.
The Swedish striker’s contract is expected to be extended soon, as the Saudi Arabian-owned team hopes to develop a plan around him.
Arsenal doesn’t want to get sucked into a protracted legal battle, but they do want to at least check if a settlement can be made.
The team is instantly prepared to begin on a campaign where they are hoping to get over 90 points since Arteta wants to have everything done early. The market has already perceived the ideas as being similar to Liverpool circa 2018.
The most likely replacement for Isak, if Arsenal is unable to acquire him, is Brobbey. With 22 goals in 42 games this season, the 22-year-old Dutch striker has been Ajax’s biggest discovery, drawing interest from several big teams.
Isak’s fellow Swede, Sporting’s 25-year-old Viktor Gyokeres, is another choice on the list.
Meanwhile, Arteta would want another midfielder and at least one more left-back.
“There’s only one way to do it – you have to be more determined, you have to be more ambitious, you have to have a lot of courage and push every limit in everything that we have,” the manager declared, vowing Arsenal will return stronger from their title defeat. That’s what comes next.