Ranking 5 Realistic Transfer Targets Arsenal Should Sign This Summer | OneFootball

Don't let the memes fool you, this season has been a major success for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.

Yes, it looks like they may have just fallen short in their bid to win the Premier League title, but disappointment and failure are two very different things.

However, a year of unexpected excitement will now give way to one full of expectation, and with Champions League football to contend with as well, Arsenal must look to strengthen their squad to compete next year - both in Europe's premier club competition and to challenge again at the top of the Premier League.

With rumours of a serious transfer fund that could break previous records at the Emirates, and the fact that the club will now be seen as a far more attractive destination, the stakes have been upped for Arsenal, and business could be rife this summer.

Here is who we think Arsenal should target this summer.

5 Moussa Dembélé

This one is a bit left-field, but it makes sense upon a deeper look. There has been plenty of clamour around the idea that Arsenal might want another forward, and yet in Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah, the Gunners already have two strikers who not only have a brilliant off-field relationship but who offer different things to Arteta's Arsenal side. Add to that the furore surrounding Flo Balogun, who has been sensational this season at Stade Reims, and the forward line looks pretty stacked.

But rumours suggest that Balogun's time at the Emirates may be up, with The Athletic reporting that he has no interest in settling for a supporting role when he has flourished as the main man in France this season. It's perfectly reasonable, but if Balogun is to make way, it's going to be a struggle to find a young forward in that bracket who is going to want to play second or even third-choice to Arsenal's main striking force.

Dembélé is a different case. His contract at Lyon expires this summer, after a difficult year in which he has failed to nail down a starting spot ahead of former Arsenal man Alexandre Lacazette, but in Arsenal's front line, he'd offer something they don't already have. Dembélé is a man with a history of playing and scoring in the Champions League, far more of an out-and-out goalscorer than Jesus, and with much more experience than Nketiah.

Despite his limited minutes, FBref data shows us that in the last year, Dembélé remains in the 89th percentile for non-penalty goals, and is still getting off over three shots for every 90-minute period he plays. And when compared with Arsenal's current options, there are positives too - he hits the target more regularly than both Jesus and Nketiah, and his xG underperformance is far healthier as well.

That last point is even more pertinent given that Jesus is currently the biggest under-performer in xG terms in the Premier League this season for a starting striker. On a free transfer, at 26 years old, and with a good goal-scoring record wherever he's been - he's worth a look.

4 Amadou Onana

Onana won't be the last central midfielder on this list, but he's a potential bargain to be had this summer if Everton can't beat the drop. Signed from Lille in August for a reported £33m, and with the Toffees already mired in financial difficulties (via The Mirror), relegation would mean an almost inevitable exit for a player who has looked at home in the Premier League - even in a struggling team.

Arsenal should take that opportunity, and take a leaf from the book of Liverpool a few seasons ago, when the Reds signed Andy Robertson and Gini Wijnaldum from relegated Hull City and Newcastle United respectively.

A physical presence in the middle of the park at an imposing 6'4", he provides steel in midfield, something compounded by an exceptional work rate. On the surface, it's the defensive numbers that stand out - Onana ranks in the top 10% of midfielders in Europe for aerial duels won in the last year, whilst being in the top 25% for tackles, interceptions and clearances, as shown by FBref.

Whilst it's worthwhile noting that data is skewed because of the way that Arsenal and Everton play comparatively, there's plenty to like when comparing Onana's numbers in the Premier League this season with that of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka. Onana's tackle success rate ranks far higher than either of Arsenal's current centre midfielders, and his passing percentages are nothing to worry about either - his pass completion rates are similar, and his security in possession is understandably skewing slightly below Arsenal's duo, but not by all that much.

He might not offer too much in terms of progressing the ball, but Arsenal have a fabulous array of central creators already, and bringing in someone to offer more defensive solidity to complement them is something that seems to fit the bill.

Former Belgium National Team manager Roberto Martinez was effusive in his praise for Onana's iron-willed personality after his full international debut against the Netherlands, and if Arsenal are going to progress, they need different profiles all willing to stand up in the heat of the moment. Onana would function perfectly in offering Arteta another option in midfield.

3 Ridle Baku

Arsenal's desire for a new right-back is well-documented, considering the injuries that have plagued Takehiro Tomiyasu's season with the Gunners. There have been numerous links to young starlet, Ivan Fresneda, whose hype is well-earned with some stunning performances in Spain for Real Valladolid, but Arsenal must weigh up the pros and cons of bringing in a player whose youth still does show within the inconsistencies in his performances.

A more secure option might be found in 25-year-old Ridle Baku of Wolfsburg. A dynamic threat flying down the right flank, his ability in the final third is influenced by his youth football days when he mainly operated as a winger, but he's still secure enough defensively to allay any major concerns going the other way. FBref data shows us that Baku ranks in the top 10% of fullbacks for goals, non-penalty xG, shots on target and blocks; and in the top 25% for expected assists, passes into the final third and progressive passes per 90 minutes played.

A return of 17 goals and 18 assists from just under 150 Bundesliga appearances is not bad going whatsoever for a right-back, and Baku is a fully capped German international as well - although he missed out on the World Cup squad under Hansi Flick.

Baku appears to be attainable this summer, and it's thought that a fee of between £10-15m would be enough to prise him away from Wolfsburg. For a player who has had another good season and is entering what should be his prime years, that seems like good value.

2 Evan Ndicka

Undoubtedly, Arsenal need another centre-back - the drop-off when William Saliba has not been in the side in the latter half of the Premier League season has been incredibly obvious, but a left-sided player might be the mould that the club are looking for.

Alongside the addition of Jakub Kiwior in January, who is right-footed and seems to have a good future ahead of him, if a new right-back is brought in, it frees up the option of playing Benjamin White in the middle as well, which adds depth on that side.

On the other side of the defensive line, the situation isn't as clear-cut, which is exacerbated by the fact that Kieran Tierney might well be on the move this summer. Enter Evan Ndicka, currently of Eintracht Frankfurt, who is a left-footed centre-back who has also featured at left-back at times, and who is out of contract this summer in Germany.

Ndicka is a defensive powerhouse, standing at 6 foot 2 and who loves a one-on-one duel. He's been almost ever-present for Eintracht in the last two years, as part of their run to the Europa League crown last season and in the Bundesliga, and has stood out as one of the best defenders in the league in that time.

When looked at comparatively across Europe, the Eintracht man ranks in the top 20% of centre-backs for blocks, passes cut out, clearances and ball recoveries, according to his FBref data.

Ndicka covers ground quickly and would be comfortable in a high line, something which Arsenal have noticeably struggled with in Saliba's absence, and he's a decent ball progressor too - although more in terms of carrying the ball than with exceptional passing ability.

1 Declan Rice

There's a reason that much of the transfer news is pointing to the fact that West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice is Arsenal's top target this summer - it's because it makes a whole heap of sense for both the player and the club.

The question remains how much it will cost, especially now that the Hammers look like they'll be playing Premier League football again next season, but Rice has made no secret of his desire to test himself at the top level in the Champions League, and Arsenal can now offer that pathway.

He has less than 18 months left on Rice's contract at this point, and with no sign of a new one being signed any time soon, West Ham might feel they need to sell this summer to get anywhere near their valuation for a player who has come on leaps and bounds since emerging out of their Academy in 2017 to much fanfare.

A stalwart in the England team, West Ham captain at a young age, and with a physical and technical skill set allowing him to play numerous different roles - his change of dynamic from club to country is just one example - Rice feels like the kind of player who can continue to elevate Arsenal's charge back to the top tier of both English and European football.

Rice has developed into an incredibly complete midfielder. FBref ranks him in the top 25% of midfielders in Europe's Top 5 leagues for pass completion, progressive passes, progressive carries, successful switches of play, shot-creating actions from open play, tackles won in his own third, dribbles stopped, shots blocked, interceptions, clearances, carries into the final third, ball recoveries and percentage of aerial duels won.

That is an impressively cohesive set of things to be elite at, and there have been undoubted flashes that he can add goals to his game as well. If Arsenal can get a deal done with West Ham here, and Rice becomes the heart of Arteta's side on the rise, the sky is the limit for both player and club.