Goal-hungry striker to Euro star – £275m of transfers Arsenal failed to get done

Arsenal spent their money acutely this transfer window, but failed to address one key area that may have given Mikel Arteta a title edge.

The Gunners strengthened in almost every area of the pitch in the market, bringing in a new commanding defender in Riccardo Calafiori and midfield stalwart Mikel Merino. They also completed the permanent signing of David Raya whilst sealing a loan deal for his new backup, Bournemouth's Neto.

Raheem Sterling was added as the window closed, but expectations were that significant reinforcements upfront would be needed this summer. This hasn't been evident so far, as they comfortably eased past both Wolves and Aston Villa. However, the club's 1-1 draw against Brighton, Declan Rice's red card aside, showed that their squad is still lacking something - perhaps a top-class striker.

Mirror Football takes a look at the deals Arteta's side failed to get over the line this window, including that infamous big-money move for a forward and the brief pursuit of Euro 2024 star Nico Williams.

Nico Williams

Williams devasted defences at the Euros this summer, scoring in the final as Spain beat England 2-1 to taste tournament glory. This, as expected, earned him plaudits around Europe, and Arsenal were reportedly lining up a move for him.

Reports suggested that the 22-year-old quickly became the Gunners' top priority, and they were prepared to meet his £48million release clause to lure him away from Athletic Club.

They faced competition for his signature, namely from Catalan giants Barcelona, but before they could make an offer, the young winger made a decision.

Williams penned a new deal with Athletic Club, keeping him in the Basque Country until 2027 and allegedly increasing his release clause to £60m.

Arteta instead turned to a cheaper option in Sterling when looking for a new winger to aid his side's title bid. However, they were actually linked with a surprise deadline-day move for Williams despite the player publicly revealing his plans to remain in La Liga.

Joan Garcia

With Aaron Ramsdale wanting first-team football and Raya having taken a firm grasp of the number one spot, Arsenal began their search for a backup between the sticks this summer.

Espnayol shot-stopper Joan Garcia emerged as a leading candidate, and the deal was progressing well. Personal terms were reportedly agreed upon, too.

However, both parties remained divided over Garcia's valuation, with the Spanish side supposedly demanding £26m and the Gunners unwilling to budge from their £16m offer.

This ultimately saw any deal for the 23-year-old scuppered, and the decision was made to settle for Bournemouth's Neto, who has arrived on a loan deal.

Viktor Gyokeres

Sporting CP's goal-hungry Swede was one of many top number nines who supposedly caught Arsenal's eye this window as Arteta looked to add that final piece to their title-winning puzzle.

Viktor Gyokeres only signed for the Portuguese outfit last summer but has notched an impressive goal tally since. He scored 29 goals in his debut campaign and is continuing along similar lines this season.

A deal for the 26-year-old seemed possible, as his £86.5m release clause was reportedly willing to be negotiated. Sporting even paid Gyokeres’ old club, Coventry City, a sum of money to lower the sell-on fee they would receive should the player be sold.

Alas, Arsenal never acted on any reported interest and allowed the window to expire without approaching Gyokeres formally, leaving Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz to man the battle stations upfront until January at the earliest.

Ivan Toney

Arsenal were supposedly considering a move for wantaway England star Ivan Toney in January, but they failed to secure a deal when the player was valued at £80m. It was expected they'd return this summer.

However, among Toney's suitors, Arsenal and Arteta seemed to simply preferred other targets to the 28-year-old - despite some reports suggesting they would launch a bid for him - and never made a concrete approach during this window.

A lack of interest from the Gunners in Toney, along with other clubs pondering on the deal, saw the striker fail to secure his desired move to a top English club.

When deadline day approached and the Bees became desperate to at least recoup some money for their star striker, whose deal expires next year, Al-Ahli of the Saudi Pro League came calling and gave Toney a £40m reprieve far from what he likely expected.

Alexander Isak

Another name who was mooted to be Arsenal's star striker signing was Newcastle's Alexander Isak. The Gunners had allegedly held an interest in the Swede when he was with Real Sociedad, refusing to pay his release clause then, but looked to be in for him again this summer.

Rumours first began when Newcastle's financial situation became clear: they would have to sell some players to adhere to the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules deadline.

This essentially placed all of their star players in the shop window, and Isak was one of them. However, as the Magpies balanced their books through other means, they lost that desperation to sell and looked to hold onto the Swedish ace.

With the marksman's value standing at a reported £100m plus, the Gunners clearly couldn't justify this and dropped their pursuit. Isak notched his first goal of the current league season in Newcastle's 2-1 win over Tottenham, and that promises to be the first of many.