Journalist Charles Watts has said that he’d be ‘surprised’ if Arsenal were to sign anyone before the club’s opening game of the season.
Next Friday, the Gunners will take on London rivals Crystal Palace away from home in their first Premier League game of the new campaign.
When they do, they should have the likes of new transfers Matt Turner, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos and Gabriel Jesus available to them – barring any injuries.
However, Watts has claimed that Arsenal aren’t likely to have any more new additions by then, though some current players such as Bernd Leno could be gone.
Indeed, while speaking on his YouTube channel, Watts said: “I can’t say for certain if there’s going to be any more incomings. I’d be surprised if there are any more incomings before the Crystal Palace game.
“Outgoings? Yes, I do think there probably will be before the Palace game. Bernd Leno, I imagine, will probably go before [the] Palace game. I’d be surprised if he’s still here.
“Nothing’s done yet with Fulham. Those talks have been going on for a long, long time now, but it’s getting towards the stage where I’d be surprised if it doesn’t end up happening.”
TIF Thoughts on Arsenal and their transfers…
Leno has long been linked with a move away from Arsenal this summer, with Fulham the most likely destination. According to the Evening Standard, he could be set for an £8m switch soon, so it does seem like a transfer is some way down the line.
As for incomings, the Gunners have been linked with a possible move for Lucas Paqueta of late, but that deal doesn’t seem as if it is close to happening at this stage – so it really would be a surprise to see a deal done before they travel to Selhurst Park next week.
With that in mind, Mikel Arteta will hope that his current squad is good enough to get all three points against Palace as he probably won’t have any new additions to throw into the mix between now and then, though there is still plenty of time to thrash out more deals before the deadline.