Arsenal face £313m transfer panic as Liverpool and Man City send clear warning
Mikel Arteta endured a frustrating end to the transfer window(Image: 2026 Allstar)
Arsenal registered a transfer net spend of £136.6million - but their biggest gamble of the summer did not cost them a penny. In many ways, this was an agonising window for Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta.
Having seen Morgan Rogers choose blue over red and Vinicius Junior decide home is where the heart is, the north Londoners hoped the light at the end of the transfer window tunnel was Julian Alvarez. In the end, the bright glimmer was the Argentine sporting Atletico Madrid's yellow training kit after he returned to the day job having snubbed Arteta's charm offensive.
Three huge body blows winded the Gunners, but they were not the only attacking players on planet earth. Instead, Arsenal watched Liverpool unveil Bradley Barcola before Manchester City spent £190m in a matter of hours to sign Iliman N'Diaye and Enzo Fernandez.
As the two clubs completed £313m worth of transfers between them on deadline day, Arsenal must now be looking ominously over their shoulder. The record breaking £55.7m sale of Gabriel Martinelli, was soon followed by Ethan Nwaneri and Gabriel Jesus moving to Borussia Dortmund (loan) and Barcelona (£12.8m).
Ezri Konsa, Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis, Piero Hincapie and Illan Meslier are strong signings in their own right, but the marquee attacking signing which sends ripples through the football world never happened. Arsenal did not even plug the holes left behind by Jesus and Martinelli.
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City and Liverpool's record buys were reactions to losing big players, titanic stars in the form of Rodri, Salah and more, while Arsenal's two biggest sales, Martinelli and Trossard, never set their starting eleven places in stone. But Arteta's attacking options are slim.
Arsenal did not even plug the holes left behind by Jesus and Martinelli. Football.london understands Eberechi Eze is considered a left-wing option and was above Martinelli and Trossard in this summer's pecking order. But an injury to Martin Odegaard, of which there were many last season, would surely see Eze be shifted into the No. 10.
Fernandez joined Manchester City for around £125m(Image: Man City)
Kai Havertz can also play there, but he has endured niggles of his own and Viktor Gyokeres would need to move into his place. Tzolis has started well, but struggled against Aston Villa. Arteta's solutions will be few if the Greek summer arrival struggles with the Premier League's physicality and Havertz and Odegaard both pick up injuries.
One injury or form issue will constantly be followed by a fresh conundrum. If, or most likely, when these issues come to roost, Arteta and Berta may look back on deadline day with regret. Arsenal competed on all four fronts last season and did so because of their squad.
Barcola was linked with Arsenal earlier in the summer(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Defensively, Arsenal has fortified well. Konsa is excellent cover for William Saliba, who may not need to be rushed back into the back-line, while Guimaraes' leadership and quality will surely reduce Declan Rice's workload.
But creatively, Arsenal have not bolstered like City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea. One Plan B for Arteta and Berta is the option to recall Nwaneri in January, should he impress for Dortmund or be needed in the event of an injury - or quality - crisis in the front-line.
Jesus and Martinelli both left in the final days of the transfer window(Image: Getty )
City and Liverpool went all-in with their mega purchases. But not gambling on transfer deadline day is, in itself, a gamble, particularly when one of your six out-and-out attacking options is 16-year-old Max Dowman.
If Liverpool and City's deadline day purchases struggle, they may be seen as panic buys. Time will tell. But, right now, if any team is feeling panicked, it may be the ones defending the Premier League title with blunter attacking weapons than last season.
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