The impact of Arsenal’s poor performances against Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United is believed to be very long.
Social media has become a common sea of poison, while pundits and rival supporters have lined up to criticize and bully Mikel Arteta’s men.
Of course there is still a small chance for Arsenal to qualify for the Champions League, but they have to beat Everton on Sunday (22/5) tomorrow and hope that relegated Norwich City can beat Tottenham.
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Mikel Arteta has told his team they must be prepared to take advantage of any mistakes Spurs make, but deep down he knows Arsenal’s chances of finishing fourth are over following that painful losing streak.
If results go as expected this weekend, Arsenal will finish fifth and return to the Europa League next season after a year out of Europe’s second tier of competition.
It was far from a failure, given that the Gunners have finished eighth for the last two seasons in the Premier League, but having been out of the Champions League for so long it is clear the disappointment is not over.
But, what will happen to Arsenal’s summer transfer plans if they fail to finish in the top four?
The Gunners spent more money than any other Premier League side during last year’s transfer window, bringing in six new players for a total cost of £145m.
And they are planning to return to activity in the market this time around, with Arteta looking to continue the squad building that has been going on since he first arrived at the club in 2019 as a replacement for Unai Emery.
The main goal is to strengthen the front line.
Arteta hasn’t signed a single striker since his stint at Arsenal, but that’s certainly something he’s looking to do in the upcoming transfer window.
Gabriel Jesus is a priority target and talks have been taking place with the Brazilian’s representatives recently.
The versatile forward has just one year remaining on his Manchester City contract and with Erling Haaland arriving for next season, the Premier League giants will not stand in the way of Jesus’ departure if he decides to leave.
“We have had talks with Arsenal,” Jesus’ agent Marcelo Pettinati confirmed earlier this month. “We love this project – it’s a possibility we’re discussing.”
Pettinati also confirmed, however, that there are six other clubs who are also interested in Jesus and some of them will play in the Champions League next season.
So if Arsenal could only offer Europa League football to the 25-year-old, that could be a problem.
However, it is believed the Gunners will still be working hard to sign Jesus this summer, even if they fail to finish in the top four.
While Arsenal won’t have as big an income as they play in the Champions League, the plan remains to invest in the team and to continue the progress they believe they have made over the past year.
Indeed, even if they win the hunt for the Jesus transfer, they will still be eyeing other strikers, as Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah will leave on free transfers when their respective contracts expire this summer.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Everton has been a long-term target, while there is still interest in Tammy Abraham of AS Roma and Jonathan David of Lille.
Arsenal have also been linked with Darwin Nunez at Benfica, but with so many clubs eyeing the Uruguayan, without playing in the Champions League it will be difficult to woo him.
Nevertheless, there is determination at Arsenal to fulfill Arteta’s wish in order to bring the team back on its feet.
The club are aware that the squad needs to be upgraded and deepened, with competition in Europe next season, and the decision not to invest during the January window means there is money to spend this summer – even without Champions League income.
At least one new midfielder is expected to arrive and talks are already underway with representatives from Leicester City, Youri Tielemans about a possible move to North London.
Tielemans has just one year left on his Leicester contract and has caught the attention of several clubs across Europe.
Arteta is desperate to land the 25-year-old, the absence of Champions League football could be a crucial factor, as the Belgian is understood to be desperate to play in Europe’s number one competition.
Ruben Neves of Wolverhampton Wanderers is another player Arsenal are eyeing and the Portugal international is expected to leave Molineux at the end of the season.
A new full-back is also on Arsenal’s radar over the coming months and there are reports from Italy that Arsenal are close to agreeing a deal for Aaron Hickey from Bologna, though. GOAL was told that was not the case.
Elsewhere, William Saliba’s future will be decided in the coming weeks.
Talks between Arsenal and Saliba’s representatives will accelerate at the end of the season as the club considers whether he will be kept at the club next season.
The centre-back has not made a single competitive appearance for the Gunners since signing from Saint Etienne in the summer of 2019.
He now has just two years left on his contract and has just enjoyed a superb season on loan with Marseille, with his performances earning him the title of Ligue 1’s young player of the year.
So Arsenal face a major decision when it comes to dealing with the 21-year-old this summer, as they don’t want the £27m signing three years ago to enter the final year of his contract free of charge.
However, finishing outside the top four will not affect their thinking.
In fact, Arteta will need to rotate more of his players next season during the early start of the Europa League campaign and that could give Saliba a chance to feature, even if he stays on and starts the season behind Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes as first choice.
However, if Arsenal don’t finish fourth this weekend, they will look to add to their transfer plans by selling several players, especially those who have spent the last 12 months on loan.
