All eyes are on Andrea Berta to deliver in his first summer as Arsenal’s sporting director, and the Italian has already received a nudge.
The 2025 summer transfer window is open for nine days before it closes once more to accommodate the Club World Cup.
Already, it’s become clear that Premier League clubs aren’t going to wait around and risk missing out on targets, with Liverpool and Manchester United already making moves.
The Gunners’ 2024/25 season was derailed due to poor planning in the market leading up to the campaign, leaving Mikel Arteta with a squad low on depth amid Arsenal’s injury crisis.
A dozen names are already on Arsenal’s list to strengthen, particularly in attack, but one target could be drifting out of reach early.
Chelsea are in talks to sign Arsenal transfer target Jamie Gittens
Arsenal have been scouting Jamie Gittens since 2020, with the Borussia Dortmund ace being a player admired at the Emirates.
Having spent time at the academies of Chelsea, Manchester City and Reading, the winger spread his wings five years ago to sign for Dortmund to develop his game.
The results have been outstanding and have led to Arsenal showing interest in Gittens once more, but the Gunners’ reluctance to push for his signature could be costly.
That’s because Mike McGrath of the Telegraph has reported that Chelsea are in talks to sign Gittens in a deal that could reach the £50m mark.
Ahead of the upcoming Club World Cup, it’s claimed that the Blues see Gittens as a pre-tournament signing, which could see Arsenal’s rivals wrap up a deal quickly.
Only one day into the summer transfer window and things are hotting up, with those at Stamford Bridge giving Berta a nudge to remind the sporting director of what happens if targets aren’t approached promptly.
Andrea Berta must secure early deals at Arsenal
It’s unlikely that Arsenal will sign Gittens, as Chelsea are eager to sign off a deal for the winger ahead of their rivals.
Such is an early reminder to Berta that with the money and the pull of the Premier League comes a sense of urgency in the transfer window.
Arsenal learned the hard way in recruitment last summer, failing to get an attacker in until the last day of the window, signing Raheem Sterling on a nightmare deadline day loan.
It wasn’t that there weren’t attackers there for Arteta and former sporting director Edu Gaspar to exploit, but more that no one fit the profile of the player wanted at the Emirates, except Sterling, which is as alarming as it is fascinating.
Arteta made it clear he wanted a striker in January, and with the knowledge of last season and last summer fresh in mind, there’s truly no time for Arsenal to waste as those around them begin to build.
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