The 2024–25 Premier League season is officially over. While many Arsenal players now turn their attention to rest and recovery, the focus at London Colney has already shifted to transfers. The Gunners won’t be involved in the Club World Cup next month, meaning all energy can go toward strengthening the squad.
Andrea Berta has been hard at work laying the groundwork for Arsenal’s summer window. With attacking reinforcements top of the list, and midfield additions like Martin Zubimendi reportedly close, supporters are hoping this will be the summer the club finally spends like title challengers.
We know Arsenal are targeting marquee names. But it’s time for a slight shift in policy. This summer, the Gunners must prioritise players who can deliver immediate results, not just long-term potential.
Arsenal can’t afford to wait anymore
Over the last few seasons, Arsenal’s transfer strategy has focused on youth and high-ceiling signings. That approach has taken the club back toward the top, but it hasn’t been enough to get them over the line. Yes, players like Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber represent smart long-term planning. But what Arsenal need now is firepower for the present.
There’s a reason this matters: Arsenal finished the league season without a single player hitting double figures in goals, a club first in over 100 years. With margins this tight, the difference between another near-miss and a title win could be just a few decisive signings.
That’s why the club’s reported dilemma, whether to sign Benjamin Šeško or Viktor Gyökeres, should be straightforward.
Šeško, at 21, has huge potential but may take time to adapt. Gyökeres, who turns 27 in June, is in his prime and has already proven himself across Europe and in English football. Arsenal cannot afford to wait for development, they need a striker who is ready now.
Signing players in their prime is the only way forward
No one is denying Šeško’s quality. But this isn’t about the future. Arsenal are ready to challenge now, and that means signing players who are physically, mentally and technically at their peak.
Whether it’s Gyökeres or another proven attacker, the club must resist the temptation to chase future resale value or hypothetical growth. Arsenal need difference-makers this summer, players who will drag them to a Champions League final or score that one crucial goal in April.
Gooners, what do you think? Should Arsenal go all-in on players ready to deliver today, or stick with the long-term project?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
BENJAMIN KENNETH
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
ADMIN COMMENT
So here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….
You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
If we are being honest, both players are a gamble and will likely need time to adapt to the league and team. I’m not really worried about this because we have Havertz. People seem to forget that Arsenal with a fit and firing squad were impressive last year after that Dubai trip. It’s the depth that often fails us.
We should be looking to get Saka,Havertz and Odegaard firing before the season starts. This will ease the pressure on whoever is signed.
Instant impact isn’t guaranteed. Even Mbappe, arguably the best player in the world, took time to settle at Madrid. On the other hand, a relatively inexperienced Bellingham had instant impact the previous season.
Sesko could struggle to adapt but so could Gyokeres. Isak is probably the only proven one but we’re not getting him. I’m okay with either Gyokeres or Sesko because they are both improving us whichever way you look at it.
Good analysis Onyango. Sesko and Havertz are very similar physically, meaning we wont have to change the system to suit him and can ease him in slowly.
When Sesko does finally take over as our number 9 i would like to see Havertz in a free role behind him. It would look the same tactically apart from when we are on the offensive. Unpopular opinion on here but i feel Havertz has a higher ceiling than Odegaard. Plus Sesko is used to playing with another forward as he is usually paired with Openda.
Havertz just isn’t creative enough. His link up play is effective as a forward because he is great at hold up and playing balls off to the sides and back and occassionally to runners. But at AM (in place of Marty as you suggest), we’d loose a lot in terms of our creativity. Odegaard with a lethal finisher? That is what we need. Viktor is the real deal, to comp to a player: it’s Benzema for me; lethal of both feet, a constant a nuisance, great presser, and ready to spring direct attacks through turn overs.
We ain’t relying on havertz to be creative. This is a lot of ifs and maybes but we have been linked with Rodrygo and Eze for the left wing. We have apparently already have Zumbendi done. So the creativity will fall on Saka, the new winger and Zumbendi. Havertz is the second striker when attacking and to duel the cbs off rayas kick opening space for the wingers. He pressed better than Odegaard and has a better engine to suit. His height comes in handy and with him Sesko, Gabriel and Saliba we will be even worse to contend with on pieces .
Havertz best man of match performance at International level was at left back. I think he is shoe in at left wing, from where he will drift into middle onto crosses, carry the ball into the box and create mayhem, and quite possibly turn out to be surreally brilliant at the defensive part of the role as he gets the hang of slipping in there when team out of possession.
BUT ARE WE RULING OUT SIGNING BOTH SESKO AND GYOKERES?
What is becoming clear now is Zubimendi is not coming, Alonso has snapped him up. Arteta warned us this going to happen in presser several weeks ago.
but we appear to be shaping to sign both Sesko and Gyokeres at the same time. And you know it would work, Sesko or Havertz playing slightly deeper 10 role behind Gyokeres counter attacking 9. Ode can also play 10, but also right wing, and 8 – and that would be a lot of bases covered whenever injuries inevitably happen.
My surprise this season was how we all of a sudden became so bland in attack.
Odegaard, Havertz, Trossard, Rice, Partey etc stopped trying to get themselves in shooting positions and taking on more shots like they did in previous seasons.
Odegaard mostly was so disappointing for me in how toothless be had been all season. When Odegaard is on his game our team tends to look so dangerous and beautiful to watch. But when off his game / off form we become very dull and toothless.
In 2021/22 we scored 61 Goals.
In 2022/23 we scored 88 Goals.
In 2023/24 we scored 91 Goals.
This sesosn 2024/25 we scored 69 Goals.
That a massive drop off.
We went back to the 2021/22 levels this season.
Our strength has been “being able to score goals from across the whole team team”. But this season was such a struggle in terms of goal scoring goals, from the first few games of the season to our last game against Southampton. Absolutely struggle to score.
Have we become more predictable and functional. More ponderous and cautious? Etc?
I just can’t understand the complete drop off. 🤔
Our Manager is very good at organising teams and quite tactical . He is a tad defensive hence the drop off we have seen this season . I go to loads of home games and it is the same playbook , teams play the low block and wait for a mistake . He doesn’t seem to be able to immediately go to a plan B . He has done a phenomenal job but I worry he might not be the man to get us to the promised land
That is a massive a drop off, I wonder what it could have been?
Possibly a massive injury crisis? Maybe, just maybe that had something to do with it?
I don’t deny there’s been some tactical issues from the manager, but no striker for most of the second half of the season, you’re best attacker out for 4 months, your main playmaker out for 3 months, and a big drop in form, is the main reason why the goals dried up.
Destroy any team’s attack, and it would be the same issue.
Don’t focus on petty issues, a 1-0 gives you 3 points so does a 3-0. We should focus on points. To have a clean sheet we need defenders and defending. A new LB is the top priority and a reliable back up GK. Merino or Kai or Gabby can Nick a goal here and there.
We should not lose possession, so back/forth or side passing is a must. Please understand the game as Mikel does and appreciate the art of Arteta
We are a phase based club. Phase 5 was to reach the UCL semi’s and we did. Next comes phase 6 and we will be getting better
Trust the process, I trust Arteta
Your sarcasm is getting dry…..
How is having your attack destroyed a petty issue?
If City had no Haaland and Marmoush for the second half of the season, that wouldn’t have affected them?
Palace would have still got to the final and won the cup with no Eze, no Mateta. etc?
Interesting perspective. Key players don’t matter then? Nketiah is clearly just as good, if not better than Mateta 🙂
Adding a competent striker is all well and good, but we need a change in tactics to get the most out of the position.
For example, what is the point of adding a top scorer if they have to drop deeper to help with buildup play?
Why have a dominant central scorer if we continue to build everything up on the wings and rarely if ever through the middle?
I think we have a solid team, just a couple key positions short; striker, midfielder, and winger. The larger issue is how we setup and play; rinse and repeat, no plan B, and we struggle to adapt when teams change tactics after halftime.
I hope we get back to more direct attacking football, and lessen the slow, sideways, possession-based system stifling the creativity of players.
I do concur with a lot in your comment. 👍
Lots of strikers actually drop into midfield to help with build up and still score loads of goals. Harry Kane is the perfect example. They don’t have to do it throughout the game, just in parts.
Sometimes when you face teams that sit deep, it’s virtually impossible to get the ball into the striker. If a striker drops into midfield, a defender will follow him, breaking their defensive organization. When this happens, it’s upon our wingers and attacking midfielders to take advantage of this vacated space. This is how Odegaard, Xhaka, Saka and Martinelli scored lots of goals in those first three moments when Jesus arrived from City.
I agree with you that we lack central penetration and rely heavily on the wings. This needs to change. I believe Zubimendi is exactly the kind of profile who can help us with this. In 22/23 we could play centrally because of Zinchenko and Xhaka. Zubimendi is also the kind of player who can slow down or fasten the tempo of a game depending on the circumstances.
Watched Zubimendi a few times , I am struggling to understand why everyone thinks he is going to be a key signing
I agree that the lack of creativity in the midfield is an issue. Party as a destroyer is good; rice as a carrier is good. But Odegaard as a creative MF this season has been really out of form. I find world class dribbler in the team, baring Saka. Striker as a must, but we need a world class creative player, either in LW or in ATM. What you say, Odegaard ceiling is already saturated. I may be wrong, but i’d like a better creative player than Odegaard.
Absolutely correct.
We need a NEW COACH for a fresh start who can handle pressure !
Same story next year coming up with Arteta no matter what new players are added !
This will lead to loss in possession, and goals. How will Raya win the golden Glove?
Goonster I don’t fully understand our goal-scoring struggles this season. My theory is that because of the intense nature of our tactics with minimal rest,some of our players were/are burnt out after two previous grueling seasons. Add to that the Euros tournament. This used to happen with Liverpool under Klopp as well.Because of his intense tactics, they would have an excellent season followed by a disappointing season.The disappointing season would be followed by an excellent season and so on… just look at their point tallies over the years.
Players that went deep in the Euros like Rice and Saliba had a slow start and just when they were getting up to speed, injuries struck and we’ve not had stability since. Interestingly, players that didn’t have a summer tournament like Salah, Partey and Timber are having their best seasons. Goes to show just how rest is important to performance. Better rotation and squad depth should help. This is where Pep does better than most.
That stats tell us in previous seasons we were better at progressing the ball through the middle of the pitch, but this season we’ve continually progressed the ball wide – we’ve been just at good at getting the ball forwards, but much worse at getting the ball into dangerous areas. I don’t like to lean too much on stats, but it does ring true in this case
The* stats …
This article is spot on. If the priority is winning now, then Gyokores is the superior striker.
He is quicker and more explosive around the box and shoots naturally from both sides – left and right.
Sesko has potential to become a good striker but he is too predictable and one-footed. (Predictable and one-footed apply to Odegaard too – need to upgrade attacking midfield options.)
Gyokeres will be a nightmare for premier league defenders.
Yes the, same fella who was lackluster in the Championship is now our savior! We need EPK experience, Mikel was not wrong in showing interest in NKunku
Thank you Benjamin I agree with you. Gyokeres is ready made and somewhat knows English football while he was at Coventry I think. Having been at Arsenal for 6 years Arteta must have a perfect beginning next season starting from pre season matches lest bluntly said he would be fired too early even before the new year. He of course steadied the sailing at Arsenal and created a competitive team but every thing- patience – has its own limits. Benjamin said it perfect: Instant success!
Gykores played at both Brighton and Coventry so should be ready to go but I think our main issue is the lack of chances creation. The English league has become so strong , we dropped points to every single team in the top 15 so this just shows how competitive the league is . I feel our play needs to be a bit more dynamic else spending big money on a top number 9 might be fruitless
If I had to choose between the two, I’d go for Sesko because I think he’d be more suited to the league and our style of play.
Gyokeres, for someone of his stature, is poor in the air. He doesn’t compete well with defenders in the air with his back to goal. Hasn’t scored a single header for Sporting this season and only has 4 headed goals for Sporting out of 96. I don’t know if he’ll be effective in the air in the EPL which has much better defenders. Sesko on the other hand is a beast in the air because of his athleticism.
Gyokeres scores most of his goals in transition, running into open spaces, a bit like Martinelli. He’s not going to get this kind of space in the Prem. It’s the same way Martinelli scored a lot in 22/23 before teams started sitting deep against us. The goals dried for him when we started facing low blocks consistently the following season. I see Gyokeres having a similar fate.
Sesko being better in the air and long range shots , can help us beat the teams that have prevented us from winning the league- the Newcastles and Villas. Gyokeres will probably score more goals against teams that play open football, but these are teams we’ve been beating even without him. If Sesko comes in and scores just 13 goals overall and 7 of those are game winning goals against the Villas of the League, we’ll be good. The rest of the team has shown they can take care of business against the other teams who play open football
Context is also key in this comparison. Gyokeres is playing in a dominant team with better players relative to the rest of the league. Sesko is playing in a mid table team that isn’t creating enough chances for him . He’d likely score more in a better team. Bundesliga is also much tougher compared to the Portoguese league. The 19 penalties Gyokeres scored also inflate his numbers.
This Gyokeres v Sesko debate reminds me a bit of Odegaard v Buendia debate we had a few years back. Most fans were for Buendia because of the unbelievable numbers he had amassed in the Championship. Villa got him and we got Odegaard to the disappointment of many. Fast forward, Odegaard has been our player of the season twice while Buendia flopped at Villa. Just because someone is putting numbers in one league doesn’t mean it will translate in another league.
Sesko for me after watching him a little I wouldn’t say he’s one footed at all, he offers a lot more than gyro and suits our setup much better. As the article says Gyro is proven on the EPL id totally disagree with this his experience in the prem was not very successful and he struggled when he played against us this season.
Also think the things Sesko is not good at, like decision making in front of goal, are things that can easily be fixed with coaching. The things Gyokeres isn’t good at, like aerial duels and hold up play,can’t be fixed with coaching,especially at his age.You’re either good in the air or not.
Next season we need 22 players in the team capable of playing in the first 11.
Every position must have atleast 2 players competing for the position if we are serious about winning silverware.
This story of we have Saka and so we can’t get in another good winger and so on with Havertz,Odegaard Saliba etc is what has held us back .
This players are human.They get injured, they can be suspended ,they dip in form, they have bad days.We need adequate cover for them and not just low grade escorts.
Victor Osimhen.
A monster that would send tremor down opposition defence.
Say what you like about the guy, he’s born to score guys and have done it everywhere he goes.
Bang on ,apparently though he’s got an ego ,which we all know that Arteta cannot have .
Shame cause he’s the best on the market and probably the cheapest.
Mr egotistical would t know how to play him anyway
Your so predictable dk. It’s nothing to do with ego’s
1. His wages would supercede everyone’s elses that it it would not be financially viable
2. African national we would lose him for the entire January and some.part of February dependant how far they progress in to the tournament
3. There’s a reason why know one has snapped him up no matter how good he is
Egos don’t come in to it what every agenda you may believe MA has or has not
Better option out there
Yes but it’s not just Arteta is it. The fact he has ended up in Turkey in his prime speaks volumes.
Googles your friend big man,2 secs it will tell you why hes ended up there .
1- bullsH1t
2- who cares
3-please tell us (mr onwards and upwards )
Overall -Cringe cringe cringe 😂😂😂😂
Reply to
Mr cringe (Alan )
And there you go
I responded to you in a constructive manner, and you can’t help but reply in foul mouth pea brain response which unfortunately only you get as being funny.
Take a hard look in the mirror and you.will see your the only person laughing
Mr Dan seems to get that problem 😕😔…. It’s not that difficult to be polite
I won’t be polite to a poster who openly admitted he likes to wind me up (not that it works )
As for you 🤫
cause you are a shitbag
I’m a shitbag !
That’s good coming from a tough guy who asks posters to drop their postcodes 😂(fcking soft lad )
Tad creepy let’s be honest .
Because you are an internet bully who wouldn’t say boo to a goose in person. I will call you out all day everyday because you are a sad little man sat behind you’re computer screen. You and HH both team up like children then act like victims when called out
The irony ,you ever read me ask for someone’s postcode ?
Said it before ,what I write on here I would say to said persons face .
Not sure what your last sentence has to do with me ,find me a post where I acted like a victim 😂
Get back in your cave Jonny Rambo .
Nobody called you a coward thats why, if your going to start calling people cowards you better back it up. Fair point i retract the victim part from aimed at you that wasn’t fair to lumber you in the same boat as others.
There’s an old sayings manners cost nothing
Ignorance cost you everything
Looks like you you haven’t got an ounce of politeness in the pea brain
I don’t have e to try to wind you up as you do it all by your self
A caged delinquent spiting vile verbal abuse to him self in the mirror 😉
The greatest thing is
MA is still our manager
Will get loads of wonga to splash around and each pound note he spends is another thorn in your side
The summers going to be fabulous
Onwards and upwards DK
😂
Had to go on google translate to understand that ,they had no idea either .
Sad thing is DK
You totally understand and so do everyone on here who has encountered your deluded thoughts
Don’t need Google to decipher that deep down your just the same as the surface. Crap 🤣🤣🤣
The board are backing MA
More monies to be spent
More players coming in
Should be a rip of a summer transfers for us
Here a tip for you for next season
Go follow rugby because afc will bring back trophies and you will end up all bitter and twisted
Onwards and upwards
I’m still not sure the net spend will be as much you think peeps
What do you think the spend will be Dan?
Not sure mate just don’t think it will be what some think
😂 good one .
More monies to be spent !
So you’re admitting he has to spend money to win stuff .
Mind you he hasn’t won anything yet (spending a fortune)so won’t hold my breath on that front .
As for the rugby quote ,lost me there .
I’m getting worried, there already seems to be a lot of faffing. If we end up with Sterlings grandfather again, all hell will break loose.
The window hasn’t even opened yet and the only “faffing” is coming from the media.
Every club and every player is being linked to each other.
Exactly Ken. As we’ve said previously, the only time to believe anything is when it’s on the clubs website.
Cult leader chooses Sesko because of his romance love affair with Havertz.
Interesting summer and new season it will be.
We have to be realistic, we can’t compete if we don’t get at least two strikers because none of them is like Isak, who has enough experience in the PL. As such, most of the available options, such as “Sesko/Gyokeres/Osimhen,” are too risky for us. With Martinelli not at his best and Trossard performing better as a bench player, we need two options up front besides Saka.
I dont think gyokeres is the top striker he’s been made out to be anyways. Nobody else seems to be in for him and Chelsea, Liverpool are also in the striker market. I’d rather we stick with our philosophy and move towards Sesko.