Arsenal’s 2024/25 season has finally drawn to a close and attention can shift to improving the squad in the summer transfer window. While the majority of the squad will enjoy a well deserved holiday following the international fixtures in the coming week, Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta are already hard at work.
football.london understands the club want to improve squad depth in the summer, with a back-up goalkeeper, defender, central midfielder, new striker and potentially a wide forward all on the agenda. “We plan to invest to get behind winning and doing better next season,” Josh Kroenke confirmed earlier this month.
“We’re delighted we have our sporting director, Andrea, who will play an important role in this. He is part of a unified and strong team, supported by the board, who are crystal clear on exactly what we need to do and the way in which we want to do it. The right way. The Arsenal way.
“Ultimately, we all want the same thing. We’re as hungry for success as you are and that goes for everyone who works for the club. We have brilliant people right across Arsenal and I want to thank every member of staff for the dedication they have shown again this season. It’s something we have reflected on this week and it never goes unnoticed.”
Arteta revealed after Sunday’s 2-1 win at Southampton that Kieran Tierney, Jorginho, Raheem Sterling and Neto will all leave the club in the coming weeks. Tierney and Jorginho will leave the club upon the expiry of their contracts while Sterling and Neto will return to Chelsea and Bournemouth respectively after spending the season on loan at Emirates Stadium.
“It was important to win it, it was important as well to say goodbye to a few players who have left our football club, to say thank you for their contribution,” Arteta said. “Some of them, like Kieran, they’ve been on this journey for six years with us. Jorginho, we’re trying to hug him, Neto and Raheem as well. So, there are a few players that I had the duty to say thank you to. I think we all have and we wish them the best for the next season.”
Arsenal themselves have six players out on loan and Berta will need to decide whether to keep, loan or sell those players in the next few weeks. Karl Hein spent the year at Real Valladolid and was part of a side which finished bottom of La Liga with just 16 points. The 23-year-old did have a decent year personally, however, and could return to the Gunners as a No.2 or look to leave permanently.
Also playing his football in Spain during the 2024/25 season was Albert Sambi Lokonga. The 25-year-old made 23 appearances for Sevilla but did miss a number of matches through injury. Sevilla are believed to have an option to buy for a fee in the region of €12million (£10million), although it’s thought the midfielder will return to Arsenal this summer where he and the club will assess their options.
Nuno Tavares made 23 appearances for Lazio and showed his attacking qualities as he finished with eight assists in all competitions. It’s been reported the loan deal included an obligation to buy, though, with the Gunners set to pocket around €9million (£7.5million) for the defender.
One player who could generate a decent fee this summer is Fabio Vieira. The Portuguese returned to Porto where he enjoyed a decent season, ending the campaign with 10 goal contributions in 39 appearances. There is no purchase option in the loan deal, however, so Vieira’s future is currently unclear, although it’s not expected to be at Arsenal. The 24-year-old is valued at €22million (£18.4million) according to transfermarkt so it will be Berta’s job to find a buyer willing to offer funds close to that figure.
Reiss Nelson is the final player whose future needs to be sorted out this summer. The 25-year-old joined Fulham last year but has not played since December after suffering a serious hamstring injury. Again, the loan deal did not include an option to buy but Nelson’s keenness to play first-team football likely means another loan or permanent exit is on the cards.
Arsenal do also have Marquinhos out on loan at Cruzeiro, although that deal runs until the end of the Brazilian Serie A season in December. The winger has featured 17 times for Cruzeiro this term and a permanent exit, in theory, could still be agreed this summer. If not, an exit is likely to be looked at in the January transfer window.
So, that means Berta could look to generate transfer fees by moving on Hein, Tavares, Lokonga, Vieira and Nelson in the coming months, while a decision on Marquinhos’ future may not be made until January. Whether the aforementioned stars stay at the club or leave on temporary or permanent deals, it’s something Berta and Arteta must agree on sooner rather than later.
