Five key transfer decisions Arsenal must make as Mikel Arteta faces dilemmas | OneFootball

Gunners have some huge calls to make this summer after Premier League title triumph

After finally returning to the Premier League's top table, Arsenal's challenge is to stay there.

Andrea Berta is set to be a busy man again and his focus this summer will not just be on incomings.

Contract talks with Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice are ongoing, while selling players will also be more of a focus for Berta than it was last summer.

A £20million valuation has been placed on Gabriel Jesus, for example. If that is not met, the Gunners will let the Brazilian leave for free next summer.

There are also more complicated situations for Berta and the club’s recruitment department to consider when it comes to big first-team players. A number of them are set to enter the final two years of their contract.

Martin Odegaard

There is a huge call for Arsenal to make when it comes to their captain.

Odegaard has two years left on his contract and that normally marks the time for either a new deal to be agreed or the player to be sold.

At 27, the Norwegian is in the peak years of his career. He has also just led his side to a first Premier League title in 22 years.

Despite lifting that trophy, it was still a frustrating season at times. Injuries hampered him and the midfielder started only 16 league matches.

Even with those problems in mind, he has scored a total of four league goals in the last two seasons. That is not enough.

Skipper: Martin Odegaard

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Eberechi Eze has provided the sternest competition for Odegaard's place that he has faced at Arsenal and there have been questions from some over whether Declan Rice should take the captain's armband off the No8.

That was never likely to happen. Odegaard is a hugely popular figure in the squad and has the full trust of Arteta.

Even in an injury-hit campaign, he has stepped up with big moments. His cameo off the bench against West Ham in May was a match-winning one.

However, the Norway international would attract plenty of interest this summer if he did become available and that might tempt some at Arsenal to think twice.

A new contract would take Odegaard into his 30s. If Arsenal are to sell, this summer is the time.

Ethan Nwaneri

It was a hugely frustrating season for Nwaneri and one that has put his Arsenal future in doubt.

Last summer there was talk of the youngster leaving the club, but he signed a new long-term contract in August to put that to bed.

However, first-team opportunities were limited. Noni Madueke and Eze arrived to push Nwaneri down the pecking order and Max Dowman elevated himself into the thinking of Mikel Arteta too.

A January loan to Marseille was supposed to accelerate Nwaneri's development on and off the pitch but proved to be disastrous. Roberto De Zerbi left soon after Nwaneri arrived and the Italian's replacement questioned the teenager's attitude.

Young star: Ethan Nwaneri

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Nwaneri is still highly-rated and he has been training with the England squad in Florida ahead of the World Cup.

However, in a summer where Arsenal are keenly aware of the need to bring in funds through player sales, Nwaneri could be one of those the club look to.

Any fee would represent pure profit and with no obvious pathway for him into the Arsenal first team as it stands, that might appeal to the club's hierarchy.

The best decision, though, might be another loan move. That would hopefully restore Nwaneri's confidence and should only increase his value should he then be sold next summer.

Gabriel Martinelli

The left wing is a key focus for Arsenal this window. Morgan Rogers and Eli Kroupi Junior are both on the club's shortlist but would require fees in the region of £100m.

There are big question marks over what that means for Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli and it feels likely that Arsenal would sanction the departure of either for the right price.

From a selling perspective, moving Martinelli on is the obvious financial decision. The Brazilian international is only 24 and his contract expires next summer, though Arsenal have the option to extend that by 12 months.

Potential departure: Gabriel Martinelli

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Bayern Munich are understood to be keeping tabs on Martinelli's situation and remain keen on the winger, having missed out on Anthony Gordon.

Martinelli has not done enough to make himself a guaranteed starter at Arsenal. He scored just one goal in 30 Premier League appearances this season.

He is always a willing runner and works hard in Arteta's system but Arsenal need far more attacking output from their wingers.

It is an obvious area of the pitch to improve and selling Martinelli would help fund doing so.

Kai Havertz

There are few players in the Arsenal squad held in higher regard by Arteta than Kai Havertz.

The Spaniard pushed to sign Havertz from Chelsea in 2023 and has spoken in glowing terms about him ever since.

It was telling that against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in April, in a crucial title-race showdown, it was Havertz who came back into the side to lead the line.

Havertz also got the nod in the Champions League final, firing Arsenal in front. Even in another season disrupted by injuries, Havertz netted pivotal goals against Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting, Burnley and PSG.

Big question: Kai Havertz

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However, he will never be a clinical striker. He has also proved less effective in midfield than Arteta had hoped when first bringing him to the club.

Like Odegaard, Havertz's contract expires in the summer of 2028 and Arsenal are at the stage where a decision needs to be made.

Havertz is one of the club's highest-paid players and a new deal would only cement that status. After 18 months of injury issues, Arsenal must decide whether that is a price worth paying.

The German made it clear in March he was not looking to move. He said: “I feel right at home at Arsenal, I feel everyone there is also very, very happy with me.

“Sure, it wasn’t a very easy season, but I definitely see my future at Arsenal, in London.”

Christian Norgaard

The brutal truth is that Arteta did not trust Christian Norgaard this season.

Those inside the club speak of how important Norgaard is behind the scenes and how well-respected he is in the dressing room.

Norgaard is said to be one of the hardest workers in training and his leadership has been appreciated.

However, the midfielder played 102 minutes of Premier League football all season. He did not start in the league until the final day of the season.

Not trusted: Christian Norgaard

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Arteta was consistently unwilling to give Norgaard minutes, even off the bench. That lack of rotation ended up costing an exhausted Martin Zubimendi as his form tailed off in the second half of the season.

Norgaard signed for an initial £10m last summer and it makes sense for Arsenal to try and recoup as much of that as they can.

Myles-Skelly has proved he can be trusted in midfield and the Gunners remain in the market to strengthen further in that area of the pitch this summer.

Arsenal need more than just good characters on the training pitch and in the dressing room. Arteta wants players able to contribute in a side competing on all four fronts and he evidently decided Norgaard could not do so.

The club are expected to listen to offers for him and that feels like the right decision.