5 players Arsenal should sign this summer

Arsenal need a strong summer if they want to get back in contention for a top four spot. Here are five players they should sign to start their re-build.

For the first time in over 20 years, Arsenal will enter a season under new management. Arsene Wenger stepped down as the Gunner’s manager late in the 2017-18 season after failing to secure a Champions League spot for a second consecutive year.

This makes the upcoming transfer window all the more important for Arsenal as new man Unai Emery takes over. The news broke on Monday that the former Paris Saint-Germain and Sevilla boss would be Wenger’s successor, a somewhat shocking announcement considering days earlier all signs pointed to Mikel Arteta.

Emery will take on the unenviable task of following one of the most influential and successful Premier League managers in history. Obvious connections can, and will, be made to Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement and David Moyes takeover, but the situation is quite different in London.

Arsenal have missed out on the top four two straight years, something that had never happened under Wenger in the 20 seasons prior. Emery’s main task will be to get the Gunners back in Champions League. Whether that comes from a top four finish or by winning the Europa League matters little. The Spaniard has an extensive history of the latter, as his Sevilla side won the competition three years in a row from 2013 to 2016.

However, this iteration of Arsenal needs more than a few tweaks to compete. There are plenty of players on high wages that hardly contribute, and others that are aging or simply not up to par. But most of all, Arsenal simply need more top level talent in many areas of the pitch. Here are five players they should go after in the summer who could aid in their re-build.

5. Sergio Rico

When Arsenal signed Petr Cech in the summer of 2015, the move was largely lauded as a shrewd piece of business. It weakened one of Arsenal’s major rivals and gave them a surefire number 1 for years to come, even if Cech was getting up there in age.

However, three years after the move, it’s clear that the Gunners need to move on from the 36-year-old. Cech played well for Arsenal in his first year, but his skills have been in decline for the past two, and backup David Ospina is more suited for his current role. It’s time for a new man in the net.

To the ire of most Arsenal supporters, Wenger chose not to accept Wojciech Szczesny back from loan last season, which could’ve nipped their need for a keeper in the bud. Instead, Juventus jumped on the opportunity and paid a very reasonable €12 million for his services. The Polish international is still only 28, despite starting 132 times for the Gunners in his early years.

Arsenal have a few options when it comes to buying a new number 1. They could again go the route of signing an older, experienced and less expensive keeper, or try to find their long-time starter in the transfer market. If they choose the latter, Sergio Rico would be a solid fit.

Rico is only 24 years old and has been Sevilla’s starting keeper since the 2014-15 season. He was Spain’s third choice keeper at the Euro 2016, and is a player that Emery is very familiar with from his days with Sevilla. Liverpool were heavily linked with Rico last season, so Arsenal may have a bidding war on their hands if they want the young Spaniard.