Arsenal summer transfer plans explained with Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta in agreement

Arsenal's summer transfer plans are already in the works as club desire long-term consistent success at the top level

Arsenal are in the planning process for a major summer investment, football.london understands. With the focus for Mikel Arteta on the immediacy of the title race and winning silverware for the first time since 2020, others at the club are already looking ahead.

Sporting director Andrea Berta helped bring eight new players to the team in 2025 in the biggest spend this club has ever witnessed in a single window. Backed by their owners and the revenue brought in from their establishment in the UEFA Champions League, the club went big and could reap the benefits this season.

However, change is afoot and there have already been several signs of this during the campaign. Per Mertesacker is set to step down as head of the academy, while technical director James Ellis is also leaving.

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Maurizio Micheli has arrived at the club in a senior recruitment role to help Berta with the club’s decision-making while the successor to Mertesacker remains an ongoing process. After Tim Lewis left the club as executive vice-chair, Richard Garlick was named the new chief executive officer.

The board was then strengthened with several new members, including Kelly Blaha, Otto Maly and Dave Steiner. Ben Winston has also joined as a non-executive director who has plenty of experience as a film producer and director in the entertainment industry but provides a presence from a fan perspective, having been a season ticket holder for more than 30 years.

Yet what fans will care most about is the plan for the squad and, primarily, the plan to not just keep Arsenal competing but to continue having the Gunners winning. While some familiar faces off the pitch have departed, on the pitch this theme looks set to continue.

football.london understands some long-standing members of the current group are not guaranteed to be with Arsenal for the foreseeable future. Interest in the squad has grown from outside and the club will be viewing offers for players carefully as they look to ruthlessly evolve over the next few years.

The club has worked hard to lock down key talent such as Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly over the past year. While Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice are also in the club’s plans with optimism over renewals.

So far, despite a public desire to stay at the club, there are no plans right now to renew Gabriel Jesus’ contract, which expires in the summer of 2027. The centre-forward position, despite the arrival of Viktor Gyokeres, remains an area the club could yet look to strengthen in the wake of Jesus’ expected exit.

Julian Alvarez is a player of interest to Arsenal, with Berta present at Atletico Madrid when he was signed from Manchester City. Any deal would cost a potential triple-million-euro figure, but Arsenal’s finances remain in a good position with progression through competitions, particularly the Champions League.

Central midfield and the wide left position are also key areas of interest for the summer. The volume of signings made last summer is not thought to be on the agenda for 2026, with a greater focus on starting-level quality than on improving depth in the group.

While Berta has impressed with his recruitment, fans will want to see his credentials when it comes to making money from player exits. Furthermore, the club’s academy and loan structure have been under review.

Clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea have been far more successful in this area. Since Arteta’s appointment in December 2019, City, for example, have made more than £120million than Arsenal in player sales from those in their youth squads.

Arteta remains a core part of Arsenal’s plans for the future despite persistent pressure over the current title challenge, which is in the balance, with City close behind. But the Spaniard, whose deal runs until 2027, has the backing of the club.

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