Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are sick of finishing as runners-up in the Premier League. They’ve finished second in each of the last three seasons and the club knows the only way they will make it to the top of the pile is through investment in players.
At the time of writing, the Gunners have completed the transfers of just two players this summer: Martin Zubimendi (for around £60m from Real Sociedad), and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (for around £5m from Chelsea). But they have been heavily linked with plenty of others, including highly rated goal machine Viktor Gyokeres, Danish defensive midfielder Christian Norgaard, and Crystal Palace’s effective attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze.
If they land that trio, and even one or two more, it would really show Arsenal’s intent to their fans as the club goes all out to claim their first Premier League title since The Invincibles season of 2003/04. So let’s take a look at each of the players, either already signed or almost in the bag.
Martin Zubimendi
Martin Zubimendi has arrived at @Arsenal 🔴 pic.twitter.com/E0Bp10xNO3
— Premier League (@premierleague) July 6, 2025
Arsenal’s first big signing of the summer, and it’s a very significant one too. Zubimendi is a player who can make a massive difference to games, in the same way that players like Sergio Busquets did, or Rodri does now. Although classified as a defensive midfielder, Zubimendi is far more versatile than that and instead of simply breaking up opposition attacks, he consistently turns defence into attack, often within a split second.
He’s made 180 appearances for Real Sociedad in La Liga and proven himself against some of the best players in the world. He has also been crucial for the Spanish national side, notably at Euro 2024 when coming off the bench in both the semi and the final to help guide Spain to victory.
Arsenal already have plenty of very good midfielders, with Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice excelling in particular. But Zubimendi could be the crucial cog in the midfield machine that turns Arsenal from a very good side to a great one. Time will tell, but we get the feeling the Spaniard could become a fan favourite within weeks of the new season getting underway.
Kepa Arrizabalaga
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Essentially signed as cover for number one keeper, David Raya, Kepa offers a little extra competition and could be used in cup competitions to give the main man a rest. To be fair, Arsenal now have six keepers in their squad, so they are somewhat spoiled for choice, but it seems like they are going with ‘the more the merrier’ for this position.
Viktor Gyokeres
Viktor Gyokeres has not been signed at the time of writing, but the Gunners’ sporting director Andrea Berta has reportedly travelled to Portugal for talks with the player’s side Sporting to get the deal done. The 27-year-old Swede is apparently very keen on the move (so much so that he threatened to go on strike if his current club tried to block it!). And reports suggest the fee could be somewhere around the £70m mark.
Gyokeres has scored a whopping 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting, and if he could get anywhere near those numbers for Arsenal, that transfer fee would look like exceptional value. Some pundits have suggested the Swede might not be able to cut the mustard in the rough and tumble of the Premier League, but it should be noted that he’s scored plenty in the Champions League (including a hat-trick against Manchester City). He’s also netted 15 goals for Sweden in 26 games, with strikes against the likes of Belgium and Portugal.
Moreover, he has experience of English football having excelled with Coventry City, prior to moving to Portugal. Although Gyokeres is not a proven Premier League goalscorer, he has certainly shown he knows where the goal is, and if he can notch 20 or more league goals for the Gunners, they’ll have a great chance of challenging for the title.
Christian Norgaard
Brentford captain Norgaard has a great balance to his game with well-developed defensive awareness and the ability to snuff out opposition attacks before they get dangerous. He also has a level of versatility that will no doubt appeal to Arteta. It looks as though this deal is basically done and dusted with the fee reported to be somewhere between £10m and £15m. Although Norgaard might become something of a squad player, he could offer excellent cover to Rice, Odegaard and Zubimendi.
Eberechi Eze
A deal that looks a little further away from completion at the time of writing is that to sign the talented Eberechi Eze from Aston Villa. He’s long been on the radar of top Premier League clubs, and even more so since his winning goal in the FA Cup final against Manchester City in May 2025.
Eze chips in with a fair number of goals and has scored 39 in 166 games for Palace in all competitions. But he is also fantastic at dribbling and putting defenders on the back foot, creating space for others and setting up goalscoring opportunities, all clearly welcome traits for any team.
There are apparently other sides still in the running for Eze’s signature, with champions Liverpool reportedly trying to get ahead of Arsenal in the race for the 27-year-old. But if Arteta can get his man, it will give the Arsenal manager yet another attacking option and a player who has the ability to get a breakthrough against the sides that are particularly tricky to break down.
Other Players on Arsenal’s Radar
Arsenal have agreed personal terms with Noni Madueke, as they consider making an offer to Chelsea, per @David_Ornstein pic.twitter.com/wNc4QRnpot
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 5, 2025
Another exciting player with whom Arsenal have been linked is 23-year-old Chelsea winger, Noni Madueke. It’s possible the Gunners will need to send a player or two the other way to get the signing, with Ethan Nwaneri having been suggested as a possible part of any deal.
The Gunners have other transfer options on their wishlist, however. Brazilian 24-year-old Rodrygo, who’s currently at Real Madrid but might prove surplus to requirements there, has been touted. While Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has also been linked with a move to north London. We can’t see Eddie Howe sanctioning such a move, however. Having said that, the Magpies have agreed a £55m fee to sign Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga, so perhaps it’s not beyond the realms of possibility.
Whoever else Arteta and Arsenal manage to bring in before the window shuts, if they get their hands on Gyokeres, Norgaard and at least one significant other, we think they’ll have a great chance of having a proper go at the title.