Managing Arsenal – Dream Morgan Rogers alternative signs and £80m double transfer dilemma solved

Arsenal can still rescue their summer transfer window by moving quickly for several key targets

We have reached the point in the transfer window where Arsenal’s activity now will decide how the club fares next season.

The 2025/26 Premier League champions finally kicked into gear in the summer window after signing Piero Hincapie on a permanent deal worth £34.5million last month. They followed it up by making good money on a 31-year-old Leandro Trossard, considering he had one year left on his deal, with the Belgian joining Besiktas for around £17m.

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But there is a growing feeling that Arsenal are yet to address their most glaring squad needs - most notably in bringing in a central midfielder, a defender and a marquee forward signing. The Gunners have been beaten to several targets by rival clubs this summer, including Jeremy Monga by Manchester City and more recently Morgan Rogers by Chelsea.

Arsenal valued Rogers at around £80m but Chelsea were willing to spend a whopping £117m, matching Aston Villa’s valuation with Stamford Bridge now seeming to be the England international’s next destination. Sporting director Andrea Berta and manager Mikel Arteta will need to act swiftly and decisively going forward, with time of the essence with pre-season training now underway.

Cough up the money

The biggest hindrance to Arsenal’s transfer activity so far this season has been their reluctance to break the bank. While it’s admirable that Berta is not willing to pay more than he believes a player is worth, he must accept the market is currently broken and borderline extortionate fees have to be paid for top talent - even if that means going £15-20m over an initial valuation.

Not doing so when rivals such as Chelsea, Tottenham and City are casually spending over £100m on a single signings will only deprive them of top quality and hinder them once the campaign gets underway. Julian Alvarez and Bradley Barcola are the two names repeatedly linked with moves to the red half of north London, and both would cost comfortably north of £100m. To avoid another situation like the Rogers one, they must simply pay the money.

Barcola is a starter for France and is the exact profile of player Arteta has missed on the left wing - rapid and skilled at dribbling. Barcola is open to a move away from PSG in the hope of securing a more important role elsewhere and would be a dream alternative to Rogers for the Gunners. Dilly-dallying any longer will only increase the likelihood that Liverpool or another rival will land the winger, or that PSG will not let him leave, given they may not have enough time to find a replacement.

Alvarez’s situation remains interesting too. The World Cup finalist is keen to move to Barcelona but Atletico Madrid are unwilling to let him join their La Liga rivals. While Atletico insist Alvarez is not for sale, they are reportedly more open to offers from Arsenal, though it will have to be a potentially Premier League record breaking fee to convince them to sell.

Depending on how much money is in the bank and Atletico’s stance, Berta must sign either Barcola or Alvarez in the coming weeks.

Sign John Stones

The other end of the pitch needs urgent attention too. At the start of the summer, Arsenal were thought to be in the market for a new right-back, given Jurrien Timber and Ben White’s ongoing injury problems. However, White is now fully fit while Timber is nearing his own return.

Instead, central defence is an area of concern for Arteta, with L’Equipe claiming William Saliba could miss as many as four to five months of action, with surgery potentially being required to address his ongoing back problem.

Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa is understood to have emerged as a potential option. However, Villa do not want to part ways with the England defender and have reportedly slapped a hefty price tag of between £50m to £60m on him.

Such a fee is too great for someone who would only be a back up to Saliba once the Frenchman returns. Furthermore, Cristian Mosquera has already proven himself capable of stepping into Saliba’s shoes and Konsa would block the youngster's progress.

A shrewd alternative would be to bring in John Stones, who left Manchester City this summer, on a free transfer. There are undoubtedly concerns over the World Cup star’s injury record and ability to stay fit over a sustained period.

But Arsenal do not need a long-term successor to Saliba, only an experienced head who can share minutes with Mosquera until their main man returns to action. And, given he worked with the player at City, Stones would be Arteta's ideal man.

Sign Bruno Guimaraes for £80m

Much like the forward market, midfielders are being sold for eye-watering fees this summer. Earlier in the window, the Gunners refused to splash out on Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, both of whom joined rivals Tottenham.

They have since identified Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle as a key target, capable of replacing or playing alongside Declan Rice, who has been dealing with a persistent injury. The Brazilian midfielder is keen on a move to north London himself, but the two clubs remain apart on his valuation.

Arsenal have a clear valuation for the player and will only proceed with the deal if Newcastle are willing to negotiate within those parameters. Given the current market, £80m would be a reasonable maximum offer for Guimaraes.

Should Newcastle demand an even greater fee, Berta should put all of his focus into signing Alex Scott, a younger option with plenty of resale value in the future unlike Guimaraes, from Bournemouth. Reports state Scott has just turned down a new contract with the Cherries amid interest from a number of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, suggesting he would be available if the Guimaraes transfer is not completed.