The summer transfer window is only a week old and Arsenal fans are already overcome with excitement at the prospect of the Gunners landing all of their targets.v
Mikel Arteta is keen to get the bulk of his business done before his players jet off for the pre-season tour of the United States in mid-July, meaning Arsenal have just under a month to start getting the number of deals they currently have in the works over the line.
The idea that any aspect of this could go wrong is not really one that the Emirates faithful will want to think about, as Arsenal have previous when it comes to being beaten to their priority targets.
However, given it is good to face your fears every once in a while, Mirror Football has pondered what a nightmare transfer window might look like for the Gunners.
At the time of writing, Arsenal have just submitted their second offer for West Ham United captain Declan Rice.
By now, it is glaringly obvious that the England international is the man Arteta wants more than any other this summer, but after the first official bid was swiftly rejected by the Hammers, you would have thought the Gunners would have bucked their ideas up when the time came to bid again
While it was a £10million increase on their first offer, Arsenal’s second bid of £75m plus £15m in add-ons has met the same fate as the first and been rejected by those running the show over at the London Stadium
With reigning champions Manchester City lurking in the background, there is a chance that Pep Guardiola and co. managed to pinch one of the most talented midfielders in the country from under Arsenal’s nose.
If you had told the Emirates faithful that Arsenal would be forking out £60m on Chelsea flop Kai Havertz before the window, eyebrows may have been raised.
However, Arteta has earned the trust of Gunners everywhere with his previous inspired signings. The Arsenal boss ignored backlash when landing the signatures of Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White and is hoping to do so with Havertz.
Things may not have worked out for the Germany international at Chelsea following his switch in 2020, but Arteta clearly feels he can inspire the kind of form that saw Havertz become one of the most in-demand prospects in European football while at Bayer Leverkusen.
Hence the bid Arsenal sent Chelsea’s way earlier this month, though that was also rejected.
With that being said, the Gunners’ London rivals will be in no rush to sell any of their players to Arsenal, particularly one as young and talented as Havertz.
If the Gunners fail to meet the Blues’ asking price, much like with Rice and West Ham, they could risk missing out
Lavia chooses Manchester United
There is every chance Arsenal lose two of their main midfield targets to both Manchester clubs, given United are also monitoring Romeo Lavia’s situation.
The teenage Belgium international is expected to leave Southampton this summer following their relegation to the Championship and has caught the eye of a number of Premier League giants
Lavia would suit Arsenal perfectly, his technical prowess the kind Arteta demands from all of his midfielders and the 19-year-old has so much time to develop further.
But if negotiations don’t go as the Saints hope, Arsenal could miss out once again.
Those at the top of the Southampton hierarchy hold all the cards given Lavia is contracted to the club until the summer of 2027 and may look to spark a bidding war.
Tierney stays at Arsenal
Of course, the idea of Kieran Tierney staying at Arsenal is not a nightmare from a tactical perspective.
The Scotland international remains a top left-back despite his fitness issues, but Tierney is one of the few assets the Gunners have where they would be willing to sell and he’d actually return a sizeable fee.
Newcastle have regularly been linked with the former Celtic man, who would more than likely welcome the move up north.
But if no deal can be struck, there’s a chance the Gunners miss out on other incomings due to a failure in generating the required funds.
