Arsenal Seize the Moment as Man City and Liverpool Scramble Before Transfer Deadline

The Athletic reports that Manchester City and Liverpool have been far less active in the transfer market this summer than Arsenal, with both clubs still scrambling to address squad weaknesses with just one week remaining before the window closes.

The report states that Manchester City may once again have to rush through the remainder of their summer business before deadline day.

Liverpool have been similarly quiet. So far, they have made only two permanent signings: Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. They have yet to find a replacement for Mohamed Salah, while the defensive midfield position remains unaddressed. They have also made no additions at full-back, despite weaknesses in both areas already being obvious.

Some growing pains were expected under new managers Arne Slot and Andoni Iraola, but the opening round of league fixtures has already exposed clear problems with their squad construction. Iraola, in particular, has admitted that his squad is “thin.”

The fact that both clubs are leaving key additions so late means their managers will have to integrate new players during the season. Instead of having several weeks to absorb complex tactical ideas, new arrivals will have to learn on the job. Even if this cannot be described as negligence, it is certainly inefficient.

Since the summer transfer window was introduced in the 2002-03 season, around 20 percent of the spending by the Premier League’s “big six” has come during the final week of the window. If Manchester City and Liverpool do complete major deals — with Liverpool still pursuing Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola and having already made two bids for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh — this summer could become one of the rare occasions when both clubs have been late spenders.

Historically, both clubs have tended to complete their transfer business early, often wrapping up major deals by the beginning of July. The process was smoother, there was less pressure, and new signings had several weeks to settle in and build up their fitness before being thrown into competitive action.

Last summer, Liverpool signed Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz in June before bringing in Hugo Ekitike in July. The obvious exception was the prolonged pursuit of Alexander Isak, which dragged on until deadline day.

Manchester City’s historical contrast is even more striking.

Take 2017, when Pep Guardiola completely rebuilt his squad. City Football Group’s analysis team identified the age profiles of teams that had won multiple trophies over several years, and the club moved quickly. Ederson arrived from Benfica on July 1, Bernardo Silva from Monaco on July 1, Kyle Walker from Tottenham on July 17, Danilo from Real Madrid on July 23 and Benjamin Mendy from Monaco on July 24. Five key pillars of the new-look team were in place three weeks before the season began.

In 2018, Riyad Mahrez had joined by July 7. In 2019, Rodri arrived before July 4, with Joao Cancelo following before August 7. Erling Haaland was already a City player by July 1 in 2022. Last summer, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki all signed in early June and were able to join the squad travelling to the United States for the Club World Cup.

Previously, Manchester City had completed major summer signings after the season had already started only twice. The first was Ruben Dias in September 2020, just two days after City's 5-2 defeat to Leicester City in the delayed 2020-21 campaign. The second was Gianluigi Donnarumma last September, after he unexpectedly became available following City’s decision to renew Stefan Ortega’s contract.

The era has clearly changed.

Manchester City signed Elliot Anderson for £116 million during the World Cup, but they have since struggled to maintain that willingness to act early. In fact, they have only now reached an agreement for Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, a pursuit that has dragged on throughout the summer.

Chelsea even set City a deadline of their own, demanding £120 million for Enzo Fernandez. Attempts to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott were rejected, leaving Roma midfielder Manu Kone as another option. Palmeiras winger Alan is also close to joining, with City looking for replacements for Savinho and Omar Marmoush, who are both set to move to Tottenham.

Does this mean Hugo Viana has changed his approach and decided to leave deals until later in the window?

One sporting director, speaking anonymously, admitted that outsiders do not fully appreciate the difference between having money, being able to spend it and meeting increasingly strict financial regulations. Even the biggest clubs now need to sell before they can buy.

Arsenal are the exception. Since becoming genuine title contenders in the 2022-23 season, they have not sacrificed any of their regular starters. However, if Gabriel Martinelli eventually leaves for a significant fee, they will effectively have followed the same model: signing Christos Tzolis first and then selling the player he was brought in to replace.

Manchester City may have done an impressive job generating close to £400 million through player sales, but the problem is that if a club has to wait for outgoing deals to be completed before making major purchases, everyone knows that it suddenly has a large amount of money to spend.

That can lead to a “big-club premium”, as Newcastle United experienced around this time last year when they were armed with the budget generated by Isak’s transfer.

A Manchester City documentary provided an insightful preview of the situation unfolding this summer. Since the beginning of last season, Arsenal have been the only club among the Premier League’s traditional top six not to change managers.

“We have signed players who are very young, so we are at the beginning of a cycle,” Soriano said. “Arsenal signed more mature players, with an average age of 27. Arsenal are looking for an immediate effect. We chose to buy young players. That is our choice, and it is also the risk we are taking.”

Arsenal have not taken that risk.

They sensed that their rivals were entering periods of transition and would need time to rebuild. This was exactly the opportunity they had been planning for.

At the end of 2019, when Arsenal began a five-year plan with Mikel Arteta during the middle of Manchester City and Liverpool’s period of dominance, the club tried to anticipate when that era would naturally come to an end. Arsenal viewed 2023-27 as the window in which they could reach their peak.

They could perhaps have reached that stage a year or two earlier, but now they have become champions, and this is the moment to build on that success.

Their win-now mentality can be seen in the signings of Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, both players who have already established themselves in the Premier League.

Succession planning, project players and lowering the average age of a squad have become almost sacred principles of modern football strategy. But for elite clubs, there is another pressure: remaining at the top.

That requires signing players who can make an immediate impact.

Arsenal were one of the youngest teams in the league several years ago. Now they have become one of the older squads, but they possess something incredibly valuable: stability.

They may eventually face the same problem Manchester City encountered last year — keeping the same core group together for too long. Perhaps the decline will come next year, perhaps the year after. But if signing players in their prime, who have already proven themselves as winners, can deliver major trophies consistently, that is surely more valuable than gambling on potential and risking the loss of an existing advantage.

At some point, that principle appears to have been forgotten.

So while their rivals are still hesitating and rushing to find final reinforcements before the window closes, Arsenal have already strengthened an exceptionally strong foundation.