Arsenal are planning to be very active on transfer deadline day, with Julian Alvarez the primary target and Lyon winger Malick Fofana also discussed. The Gunners have already recruited Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa and Christos Tzolis this summer.
The Atletico Madrid striker is yet to give his blessing for a £128million deal, though Arsenal have not given up hope of convincing him to return to the Premier League. If Mikel Arteta gets his wish, Alvarez would feature in Arsenal's strongest starting lineup.
Defensive reinforcements
A recurring theme throughout Arteta's six-and-a-half-year reign has been his relentless tweaking and strengthening of the defensive unit. The north Londoners moved to recruit versatile full-back/centre-back Ezri Konsa this summer after a long-term injury to William Saliba.
Saliba's back problem is expected to sideline him for several months, leaving Arteta unable to risk replacing the finest central defender in Europe with youngsters Cristhian Mosquera and Marli Salmon for a substantial portion of the season. Saliba, alongside the injured Jurrien Timber, are both expected to be among the first names on the teamsheet upon their return, even given Ben White's resurgence at right-back.
Midfield and attack
Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori rank among the finest players in their respective positions, while David Raya has established himself as one of the most dependable goalkeepers on the continent, evidenced by his three consecutive Premier League Golden Glove awards.
Myles Lewis-Skelly and Declan Rice are expected to anchor the midfield, with new signing Guimaraes capable of sharing the workload. Captain Martin Odegaard will fill the right attacking midfield role, keeping Eberechi Eze out of the starting XI.
On the left flank, new £34m signing Christos Tzolis has captivated the Emirates faithful early in his Arsenal career. The Greece international already appears to be amongst the summer's shrewdest acquisitions, with his awareness, positioning and judgement establishing him as the outstanding choice on the left wing.
The Alvarez question
Julian Alvarez, the 26-year-old World Cup winner, represents the perfect all-round option — the genuine game-changer that Arteta has desperately needed following Champions League eliminations to Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain in recent campaigns.
The sole question remaining is whether the player himself wishes to ply his trade at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal will be hoping Alvarez decides to join after witnessing his proposed move to Barcelona collapse and his own Atletico supporters boo him last weekend.
Arsenal dream XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Alvarez, Tzolis
