Having spent over £100million on incomings this summer, it makes sense for Arsenal to scale it back next year – especially if the Gunners fail to make it back to Europe at the end of this season.
Ben White for £50m and Aaron Ramsdale for £24million were significant outlays for Edu and Mikel Arteta.
Their arrivals, along with Martin Odegaard, Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga and deadline-day signing Takehiro Tomiyasu have a tough task on their hand to get the north Londson-side back to where they want to be.
Here are some players Arteta will want to talk to in January about making the switch to the Emirates Stadium next season.
Andre Onana, Ajax
If it wasn’t for a doping ban, Onana may have got a move to the Emirates Stadium in the 2021 summer transfer window. Instead, Arteta opted to sign Ramsdale from Sheffied United.
Despite this, current starter Bernd Leno is likely to depart on a free transfer next summer and his replacement could well be Onana.
The shotstopper will be allowed to play again from November having the 25-year-old and Ramsdale battling for the No 1 shirt in 2022 can only be a good thing as the Gunners look for a way back inside the top four.
Jesse Lingard, Manchester United
Lingard decided to turn down a move to West Ham, where he had a successful loan spell in 2021, and fight for his place at Old Trafford. While it left many confused, it’s hard to imagine the England attacker is granted many opportunities to impress in Manchester.
Lingard was linked to a move to the Emirates in the 2021 summer transfer window but with his mind made up, Arsenal turned to Odegaard instead.
But a free transfer for a player with Champions League experience is a no-brainer. A player who has found success playing away to Arsenal in the past, the thought of him excelling in red but for the Gunners in north London is an exciting prospect.
Denis Zakaria, Borussia Monchengladbach
Likened to Arsenal legend Patrick Viera, Zakaria is another player who was seen as a 2021 summer transfer target.
Once Granit Xhaka’s move to Roma collapsed and he signed a new deal at the Emirates Stadium, the noise surrounding Zakaria quietened down significantly.
But with Xhaka showing against Manchester City that he is still prone to reckless tackling, signing his Swiss compatriot could be a shrewd move – especially when you factor in who his idols were growing up.
"I've been compared to Vieira and Pogba – two more players I really respect and, in a way, see as role models. When I watch videos of them I think I'd like to play that way,” he said when speaking to the Bundesliga website.
