Arsenal transfer window rating: 7/10 after five signings, Arteta let down in one position
Arsenal secured five signings during the 2026 summer transfer window.
The Gunners ended a 22-year wait for the Premier League title last term, and there was anticipation that the club would spend big to add more quality to the squad this summer.
Arsenal showed ambition with some high-profile arrivals during the transfer window, but the club’s faithful were not overly pleased after the failure to land a marquee left winger.
Here is our assessment of the club’s transfer business.
Incomings – 8/10
Piero Hincapie – 8/10
Hincapie had a brilliant season on loan from Bayer Leverkusen last term. The Ecuadorian made the left-back position his own after the turn of the year amid Riccardo Calafiori’s injury woes and became a favourite among the fans. The Gunners triggered an option to buy for £34.5 million earlier this summer. It can be viewed as a huge bargain given the inflated transfer deals elsewhere.
Bruno Guimaraes – 9/10
Guimaraes had been one of Newcastle United’s standout performers for the past few years. The Gunners were first interested in him during his time at Lyon and finally secured his services this summer. The 28-year-old brings leadership and vast experience in central midfield. Arsenal can now afford to rest Declan Rice, given he has been struggling with neural hamstring pain.
Ezri Konsa – 8/10
Like Guimaraes, Konsa is another big investment in the club’s defence. The 28-year-old is a good ball-playing defender and can comfortably operate as a centre-back or a right-back. With William Saliba’s extended back injury, Konsa could make himself a regular partner to Gabriel Magalhaes. In the long term, the former Brentford man could also slot on the right side of the backline.
Christos Tzolis – 7/10
Tzolis has already proved another shrewd investment on the left wing. He had an exceptional season at Club Brugge with 51 goal contributions and has already bagged a couple of assists for the Gunners. He had a rare difficult outing at Aston Villa but will be keen to make amends against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Illan Meslier – 6/10
Meslier was a surprise signing on a free transfer from Leeds United. The French goalkeeper was the third-choice at the Whites last term, but the Gunners took the opportunity to bring him in as a deputy behind David Raya and Kepa Arrizabalaga. Meslier looked more assured than Arrizabalaga, and it is left to be seen whether he plays any part this season.
Outgoings – 7/10
Arsenal offloaded plenty of outcasts during the recently concluded transfer window. Goalkeeper Karl Hein and defender Jakub Kiwior left for Werder Bremen and Porto respectively after their buy clauses were triggered after season-long loan deals.
Christian Norgaard made the switch to Everton to compensate for Guimaraes’ arrival. Fabio Vieira was sold to Hamburg permanently after a productive loan spell with 13 goal contributions, while Reiss Nelson was released by mutual agreement.
Aside from the quintet, the Gunners parted ways with senior forwards Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard. The club got around £445,000 per week off their wage bill with their exits to Barcelona and Besiktas, and could save another £190,000 per week with Gabriel Martinelli on the cusp of joining Al-Hilal.
Meanwhile, midfielder Ethan Nwaneri and goalkeeper Tommy Setford were loaned out to Borussia Dortmund and League One side Stevenage on deadline day. Based on Transfermarkt, Arsenal would have a net spend of £79m this summer after Martinelli’s £60 move to Al-Hilal goes through.
Overall rating – 7/10
Arsenal did well in reinforcing the defence with permanent deals for Hincapie and Konsa. Guimaraes is a standout signing in midfield, and his influence was visible as a substitute during the recent 1-0 victory at Aston Villa.
However, the club’s inability to land a marquee left winger is immensely disappointing. Tzolis is still inexperienced at the top level and was kept relatively quiet at Villa Park. Eberechi Eze came on to replace him, but he is more of a playmaker.
The Gunners desperately required a left wing specialist and should have splashed the cash to land Morgan Rogers earlier this summer. They could have signed him for around £100m in May, but the price eventually rose to £117m after Chelsea’s proposal.
Arsenal’s hierarchy refused to match the fee, which could prove costly as the season progresses. The club also tried an ambitious plan to lure Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, but the Brazilian ended up penning a new long-term deal at Los Blancos.
The focus turned to landing an elite striker in the final weeks of the transfer window, but the club miserably failed there too. Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez was the top target, but he was reluctant to consider any other club than Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Arsenal were not convinced about signing winger Malick Fofana on deadline day. All in all, it could have been a 9/10 or 10/10 window with a marquee left winger, but 7/10 is our final rating.
Arteta will probably feel let down, as the club brought in only Tzolis to replace Trossard and Martinelli. There is still time to cancel the proposed agreement to sell Martinelli to Al-Hilal, but we doubt the board will consider doing so in the next few hours.
Stats from Capology.com & Transfermarkt.com
The post Arsenal transfer window rating: 7/10 after five signings, Arteta let down in one position first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.