Once the transfer window slammed shut at 11pm on Friday, Arsenal had to be quite content with their business.
The Gunners would not doubt have liked to have added an elite centre forward to their ranks. You only need to look at the consecutive hat-tricks that Erling Haaland has scored already this season to realise why.
That said, they have improved the overall make-up of the squad and lifted the floor. Riccardo Calafiori strengthens an already packed-out defensive line.
Mikel Merino, once fit, will be the heir to Granit Xhaka's number 8 role and Raheem Sterling – the late shock of the window – will add incredible depth and experience in attack.
Improving the forward areas was one of the biggest priorities for Edu and Co and although that high-calibre player wasn't added, it simply didn't look possible.
Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao is loved but was never keen on leaving his boyhood club behind. Another target in Benjamin Sesko also signed a new deal with RB Leipzig.
What's interesting to note is that one Brighton player was also on their radar during the window.
Arsenal looked at signing Brighton star
We can look back at the summer market and wonder what if. But, let's be honest, we will not truly know whether the window was a success until the end of the current season. Not signing a striker could be a problem, but, they could still address that in January.
One such option may well be Brighton's Joao Pedro. The Brazilian – who is the second most similar player in European football to Gabriel Jesus – according to FBRef, bagged an equalising goal for the Seagulls on Saturday and impressed with his all-round display.
That said, he could well have been donning Arsenal colours this weekend had a move materialised. At the beginning of August, Football Transfers suggested that the Gunners 'had discussions about the possibility of signing Pedro'.
That came amid news that Eddie Nketiah was set to leave, which he eventually did, heading to Crystal Palace.
How Joao Pedro performed against Arsenal
Handed the man of the match award for his performance at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday lunchtime, Mikel Arteta and Co may well have been wondering why they didn't have him more on their radar this summer.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, of course, but he was sensational during that draw for Fabian Hurzeler's tricky side, scoring a well-taken goal to take his tally to two strikes from three Premier League appearances in 2024/25.
Handed an 8/10 rating by Sussex World's Sam Morton for his showing, the reporter hailed the former Watford star's 'important work defensively' while suggesting that he 'was a nightmare for Thomas Partey'.
Minutes played
90
Touches
70
Accurate passes
35/42 (83%)
Goals
1
Expected goals (xG)
0.32
Key passes
1
Crosses
1/3
Long balls
2/2
Successful dribbles
4
Ground duels won
8/14
Fouled
3x
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal.
It wasn't just his second-half goal that stood out, with the 22-year-old a constant nuisance for the Arsenal defence.
The £30m signing pulled out into wide areas on a constant basis and at one stage even danced past Bukayo Saka with a mesmerising drop of the shoulder that left one of the league's finest players eating dust.
It was a red-hot performance from Pedro, a player who is quickly proving himself this season to be one of the most dangerous forwards in the league. Continue performing like this and a move to a club like Arsenal may well come about one day.
Arsenal hit gold on amazing talent who’s worth way more than Sterling
Mikel Arteta has a player in his squad who could move on for a serious profit in the future
ByRoss KilvingtonAug 31, 2024