By deadline day, Mikel Arteta seemed satisfied. His squad had been sufficiently strengthened, with the £45m signing of Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid the last new arrival.
Gabriel Magalhaes, Willian and Runar Alex Runarsson were also brought in as the Gunners looked to progress after a promising start to life under Arteta last season.
Attention will now turn to the football itself, with a busy schedule in the Premier League and Europa League to come over the coming weeks.
But the January transfer window is not too far away, and the speculation over potential new arrivals will continue until then.
With that in mind, here are four players who the Gunners were linked with over the summer that they could look to try and sign come January.
Houssem Aouar
It was clear that Arteta wanted to sign Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar, but Lyon made things difficult, asking for more money than Arsenal could stretch to. That meant the 22-year-old midfielder stayed put, although a big-money move seems inevitable in the near future.
After Partey’s arrival, the Gunners are likely to have to sell fringe players to raise the funds required to buy Aouar. Whether they can do that in January remains to be seen, but a creative midfielder is obviously a priority for Arteta.
And Partey was not a direct alternative to Aouar, either. Both players are very different, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Arsenal move for the France international when the transfer window opens again.
Patson Daka
It seems quite likely that Arsenal will be in the market for a new striker sooner rather than later. Alexandre Lacazette has started the season well, but Arteta doesn’t appear to be convinced, hence rumours that the Frenchman was a target for Atletico Madrid and Juventus over the summer.
Eddie Nketiah is showing signs of promise, but with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang playing on the left-wing Arsenal might look to add another option up top.
Patson Daka could be that man. The 22-year-old striker has been linked with both Spurs and Arsenal, after scoring 27 goals in all competitions for RB Salzburg last season, and looks to have all the traits required to excel in Arteta’s team.
His pace and eye for goal would make Arsenal an even more menacing attacking outfit.
Odsonne Edouard
Another striker who has been linked with a switch to the Emirates Stadium, Celtic ace Odsonne Edouard looks destined for bigger things after a prolific couple of seasons in Scotland.
The Frenchman hit 28 goals last season, catching the eye of several top European clubs. Arsenal were one of them, with reports emerging last month of a bid of £22.5m plus add-ons.
That was clearly not enough to sway Celtic, but Edouard may well be a target again in January.
Dominik Szoboszlai
RB Salzburg midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai could be an alternative to Aouar, if the Lyon man continues to evade Arsenal.
Szoboszlai, according to well-respected Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, is “not on the top” of the Gunners’ shortlist, but he remains a potential target.
At 19, he is three years younger than Aouar, but hardly an unproven youngster. Szoboszlai already has 10 caps for Hungary and over 100 club appearances.
Liverpool are also said to be interested, but Arsenal are probably more in need of a player with Szoboszlai’s qualities.
“If I had to name a player who has a similar way to play football like me, “I would name [Paul] Pogba or [Toni] Kroos.” the teenager told the Evening Standard earlier this year.
