Arsenal will work on these three positions in the summer

these are logical deduced positional transfer targets, but I would suggest that a replacement for Xhaka is our most pressing issue, unless we’re going to adopt a more aggressive base formation where Xhaka becomes a coverage/bench player

so if I had any say in the matter I would do the following:

number one priority is addressing the midfield, if we can’t re-sign Ode, we need proper depth in that position behind ESR, maybe even promoting Azeez so we can devote more resources towards one key midfield acquisition

if we do re-sign Ode, which I’m not convinced of yet, we need to sign a DM…if we’re staying with the double pivot, the player needs to have some real passing qualities, which is why Bissouma is on the radar…as a player who used to play farther up the pitch until recently he’s the kind of dual purpose player who might do a job for us

if we don’t re-sign Ode, but were considering a more direct formational approach, like a 4-1-4-1, we should acquire a more steely defensive-minded DM and contemplate moving Partey up to play along side ESR…this could allow us to install a much more aggressive high press without leaving ourselves too open to the counter

far too often we are outmanned in the final third because we don’t counter with pace very often so we allow defences to constantly reset…as we’ve discovered over the past decade it’s difficult to break down opponents when we’re almost always at a numbers disadvantage

Priority 2…we need to sell then replace Laca…easy way would have been to sell both he and Eddie, re-sign Balo, then acquire a player that compliments our projected tactical approach, but we kind of screwed the pooch on that one

if we’re continuing to attack more from wide positions a player like Weghorst would best suit our needs, but if we’re looking to take a more direct approach maybe someone like Andre Silva from Frankfurt, would fit the script…Silva’s a few years younger so he might make more sense from a contractual standpoint, especially regarding his potential resale value

Priority 3…RB replacement for Bellerin…personally I wouldn’t be displeased for one year if we sold him simply to raise funds to put towards our higher priority needs then have Cedric and Chambers share the load

I’m still not a big fan of our overreliance on our backers to supply so much of our offensive push, so I’d much prefer we have a RB that stayed home a bit more, so that we could slide coverage at times, without a double pivot…that way Tierney could attack wide on the left with impunity, then we could take a bit more of a direct approach on the right

once we’ve stretched them wide left while likewise making opposing teams worry about their lane integrity, we could likely provide Saka/Pepe with some more 1 v. 1 opportunities out wide right…as we’ve seen lately, we’re a far more effective offensive unit when we adopt a much more varied approach to our attack

In a perfect world, we would have another Tierney-like player on the right, but if that meant not addressing the other two higher priorities first that would be unwise…this team needs more balance where we’re relying on more offensive players in attack and more defensive-minded players when it comes to defensive zone coverage, which is why I believe a single pivot system would be optimum

Very constructive comments TRVL.At a time of economic hardship, fans must realise that the buying and selling of players will be extremely difficult to say the least.In these circumstances our recruitment team needs to get creative to entice Clubs to deal.My priorities focus on a good back up for Tierney and an upgrade on Saka.The young Scottish LB, Doig of Hibs would be ideal to support Tierney who could make him feel at home.Hibs would probably accept an offer of 1.5m.I agree wholeheartedly with the acquisition of Bissouma who can play as a DM or B to B.To entice Brighton to do business we could offer them AMN and Nketiah in part exchange.Brighton in my opinion are a very decent side and in Ben White and Trossard they have players who could improve Arsenal.They also have a young, unpretentious Manager who is doing well with limited resources,A future Arsenal Manager perhaps?I do hope we can secure Odegaard on a permanent basis as he is not only highly creative, but works his socks off for the team.He would be a major signing.Realistically ,the 3 players mentioned would have to suffice until we can sell the likes of Kolasinac, Torreria, Guendouzi and Bellerin.Saliba ,Willock and perhaps Mavroponas should be recalled from loan with Luis , Mari and Elneny being surplus to requirements as far as I am concerned.