Arsenal have made significant changes already this summer, with players both coming and going as Mikel Arteta bids to improve on his side’s rise to being title contenders last season.
The Spaniard and Edu have welcomed over £200m worth of talent this window, with Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, Declan Rice and David Raya bolstering the depth and quality within the squad.
Despite starting the season with a maximum six points out of six, the Gunners are expected to see more movement at the club before the end of the transfer window, with speculation pointing the north Londoners to a host of talent.
Who could Arsenal sign this summer?
In recent weeks, Arteta’s side have been linked primarily with defensive names, following the devastating blow to Timber just 50 minutes into the Premier League season.
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The Dutchman will be out for a case of months as he nurses an anterior cruciate ligament injury, as the Express listed Crystal Palace colossus Marc Guehi and Bayer Leverkusen titan Edmond Tapsoba among potential options.
There has also been speculation of movement in the midfield, with FootballTransfers hinting earlier this month that Arsenal could weigh up a move for Inter Milan star Nicolo Barella.
The report claims that the club had ‘indications’ that the 26-year-old could be ‘open to a move’, in a move that could cost around £80m with that being the price Inter value their player at.
What is Nicolo Barella’s playing style?
Having once been lauded as a “warrior” by his former manager Antonio Conte, Barella is identifiable as a typical box-to-box midfielder, with a skill set covering both the defensive and offensive tasks in the engine room.
Last season in Serie A, the Inter gem netted six goals and registered six assists for the Nerazzurri, as well as averaging an impressive 1.6 key passes per game to showcase just how efficient he can be in the final third from midfield.
In terms of playmaking, the Cagliari-born sensation orchestrated things in the middle of the park for Inter, averaging a mammoth 7.37 progressive passes per 90 in last term's league campaign, asserting his importance in the squad.
For Arsenal, links to Barella could be an exciting and ambitious prospect, especially with reference to the club’s progression as a squad, with a host of deadwood already exported this summer, with more expected to depart.
One name that is rumoured to be close to the exit is midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga, who had an underwhelming half-season loan spell at Crystal Palace, in which he found himself as an unused substitute for eight out of the 10 final games for the Eagles, via Sofascore.
Offloading the Belgian could be a strong move for the Gunners, especially if it allowed room for a signing in the calibre of Barella to replace him.
While it’s somewhat unfair to compare the Italian to the 23-year-old, the change in personnel could represent a far bigger narrative at the Emirates, in what is a positive change in tide.
The 26-year-old machine has begun the season with Inter, having already rejected a Premier League move to Newcastle United earlier in the window, which makes interest from Arsenal questionable as to how it could prevail.
There is, however, no doubt of the Serie A gem’s quality and the level of performance he could bring to north London, so Edu Gaspar and the club's recruitment staff must look to seal this signing as a serious statement of intent towards their ambition this season, and letting Lokonga leave could open a clear path for Barella in Arteta's first-team squad.