Premier League transfers: The most competent Arsenal has ever been?

For the last few years, Premier League clubs have been known for their expensive transfer markets to keep up with what might be called the most expensive and competitive domestic league in European football. You would see mid-table teams sign multiple players for £20 million-£30 million, and transfers made by a top-6 team have always been highly anticipated. This summer has been no exception so far.

Erling Haaland to Manchester City - potentially the biggest transfer this window across all leagues (Source: Getty Images)

Manchester City surely scored the biggest headliner of the summer - Erling Haaland. The Norwegian superstar joined City from Borussia Dortmund with a release clause fee of £51.2 million - a surprisingly low price for one of the biggest talents in Europe. Alongside the addition of Haaland, multiple sources have confirmed the signing of English midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United. With a reported fee of £42 million, Phillips will be a replacement for departing captain Fernandinho. Brighton’s left-back Marc Cucurella is also a target that has been closely monitored by Man City.

Kalvin Phillips will be the next to join Man City (Sources: Fabrizio Romano & Davin Ornstein; Image: City Xtra)

Liverpool also signed a future-star striker to compete with their rival Man City. Their answer is Darwin Núñez from Benfica. The Uruguayan 23-year-old joined Liverpool for £64 million, with potential add-ons that could reach £85 million depending on his performance. Fabio Carvalho from Fulham, confirmed last season; and Calvin Ramsay from Aberdeen - are two young talents that also joined Liverpool this summer.

Darwin Nunez joined Liverpool with great expectations (Image: Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur secured two quality free transfers: Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan, who will be a fantastic addition to manager Antonio Conte’s wing-back formation; and Fraser Forster from Southampton, who will serve as a good backup for goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. In addition, Yves Bissouma from Brighton, who has proven himself as a quality box-to-box midfielder in the Premier League, was also signed for £25 million.

Bissouma signed for Spurs (Source: Tottenham Hotspur)

Aston Villa continued to show their ambitions after a successful season under manager Steven Gerrard. In this transfer window, they’ve managed to finalize Phillipe Coutinho from Barcelona as an official Villa player. Other signings include center-back Diego Carlos from Sevilla (£26 million), goalkeeper Robin Olsen from AS Roma (£2.8 million), and defensive-mid Boubacar Kamara from Marseille for free. They also let left-back Matt Targett depart to Newcastle after half a season on loan. He will be joined by goalkeeper Nick Pope (£10 million) from relegated side Burnley, and potentially, Sven Botman from Lille - who has been one of the main options for Newcastle to fill the center-back position.

After an exploding season, Phillipe Coutinho is officially an Aston Villa player (Source: Getty Images)

We might have seen one of the most competent Arsenal in many years in this transfer window. It’s a good sign for the fans that the board of directors fully backs up Mikel Arteta’s rebuild. They’ve signed young Brazilian striker Marquinhos from São Paulo for £3 million and midfielder Fabio Vieira from Porto for £34 million. But they have no intention of stopping - Gabriel Jesus has been heavily discussed, and sources state that it’s only a matter of time until he officially becomes an Arsenal player. The Brazilian get-together at Arsenal might also include Leeds’ winger Raphinha. If all those signings are finalized, Arsenal will be a formidable team to watch next season.

Gabriel Jesus is very close to Arsenal (Image: ESPN)

Chelsea and Manchester United are the only remaining top-6 teams that have not yet bought a player. However, they still have the potential to secure some big names in the following weeks. Chelsea’s new management under Todd Boehly as owner will be on the market immediately after the transition. With the departure of Romelu Lukaku on loan, Chelsea has made clear that they had no intentions of keeping players that don’t want to be a part of their plan. Under Erik ten Hag, Manchester United is eyeing players that can significantly improve the team quality. Frenkie de Jong, Antony, etc. - who might know what will happen next?