Arsenal have work to do in the summer transfer window. The Gunners are in the market for a new striker, with reports emerging on Thursday night that talks had been instigated over a £92.5million move to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.
Sesko has been on the Gunners ‘ radar for some time, with Arsenal keen to sign him last summer until he opted to have another year in Germany, signing a new deal with the Bundesliga side.
The 22-year-old, celebrating his birthday today, has emerged as the most likely candidate to fill the void in Mikel Arteta’s team, although there are still persistent links with Sporting CP frontman Viktor Gyokeres too.
The Gunners have space in their squad to add players without having to make sweeping changes, but there are likely to be big changes in the red half or north London anyway.
Four players are guaranteed to leave, with one more a potential departure, with others linked with transfer exits too.
Here football.london takes a look at the current squad situation, what could be done and how the squad could look after the summer transfer window.
Current squad
Premier League clubs are permitted to name a 25-man squad in September, with an updated 25-man squad named in February after the January transfer window.
Of those 25 players, at least eight must be homegrown, so if clubs do not have enough homegrown players, the squad size is reduced accordingly.
Arsenal actually had seven homegrown players in 2024/25, meaning they could name a 24-man squad, but only named 22 in the February statement. That means there were already two spaces for new signings before anything even happened this summer.
Departures
One homegrown player is leaving, with Raheem Sterling returning to Chelsea upon the expiration of his season-long loan deal at the Emirates Stadium. But that still means there are spaces for two foreign signings.
Neto will also return to Bournemouth after his loan spell ends, while Kieran Tierney and Jorginho will leave the club as their contracts expire this summer.
Question marks remain over Thomas Partey, with the Ghanaian’s contract also expiring this summer. There are talks over a new contract but as things stand he is also departing.
There will be speculation around the likes of Jakub Kiwior, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko for sure, with Leandro Trossard’s future also not certain.
If Partey does leave, Arsenal will have a squad of 17 before any other potential transfer exits are taken into account.
Returning loan players
Albert Sambi Lokonga, Reiss Nelson, Karl Hein and Fabio Vieira will all return to north London after their season-long loan deals.
Hein may well get a chance to be in the first-team picture, with Neto leaving and him counting as homegrown, while Nelson could also add to the homegrown quota if Arteta decides to keep him around.
If all four remained in north London there would be room for four signings – of any nationality – to come in. Three if Partey stays, but Lokonga is almost definitely heading out, if not permanently, then on loan again, so there would be at least four spots for new signings
New signings
As mentioned, Benjamin Sesko looks like being the big-name striker to arrive at the Emirates Stadium this summer. If not, you would think Arsenal will go after Viktor Gyokeres instead.
Martin Zubimendi will join from Real Sociedad, as football.london understands, with a deal almost completed to see the midfielder arrive, potentially as a replacement for Partey.
Arsenal are looking at potential back-up goalkeepers – Joan Garcia has been mentioned – which could see Hein go out on loan again or be sold, while defensive reinforcements may be required if the likes of Zinchenko and/or Kiwior were to depart.
There will remain rumours around attacking wide players too, with the likes of Nico Williams, Rodrygo and now Rafael Leao linked with moves to north London.
Youngsters
Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri remain on the Under-21 list for the 2025/26 season, meaning they do not have to be named in the 25-man squad.
Other players on that list include Jack Porter, Tommy Setford, Maldini Kacurri and Charles Sagoe Junior.
How the squad could look
As we’ve mentioned above, there is plenty that could be done in the summer, to give Arteta the squad he needs for a Premier League title tilt.
The Gunners went with 22 names this season and there are definitely spots open for new signings, particularly given those players who are going to depart the club.
Potential squad: David Raya, Joan Garcia, Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Jakub Kiwior, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Mikel Merino, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Martin Zubimendi, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Benjamin Sesko, Leandro Trossard, Rafael Leao, Reiss Nelson, Fabio Vieira.
That’s with Leao and Garcia in the squad. And without Partey. Looking like that, the Gunners would still have room to sign three other players should they want to.
