Arsenal's Transfer Strategy: Chasing Osimhen and Quansah

Arsenal’s window is entering its sharp end. The clock runs down to September 1, and the club’s transfer strategy – patient, selective, sometimes painfully slow – is about to be tested.

They have refused to jump into bidding wars or pay over the odds, even for long-standing targets. Bruno Guimaraes is the clearest example of that stance: months of noise, weeks of negotiation, deal finally done only last week. Measured, but hardly swift.

That restraint has carried a cost. Morgan Rogers slipped away. Jeremy Monga too. Other clubs moved quicker, Arsenal held their line, and two attacking options vanished from the board.

Yet the squad is stronger than it was at the end of last season. Guimaraes adds steel and control in midfield. Christos Tzolis brings a different attacking profile. Illan Meslier offers serious competition – and cover – in goal. Mikel Arteta now has more depth to absorb the inevitable injuries that come with a packed 2026/27 calendar.

It is not enough. Not for what Arsenal want to be.

Inside the club, the message is clear: at least two more signings are being chased – a defender and an attacker – to build a group that can go after trophies on every front. The timing is tight. The Community Shield against Manchester City arrives on Sunday, but the real contest is already raging off the pitch.

Two storylines dominate.

Osimhen enters the frame as Martinelli shuts the door

With attempts to land Morgan Rogers, Vinicius Junior and, by all indications, Julian Alvarez faltering, Arsenal have turned their attention to Victor Osimhen.

Arteta has admired the Nigerian for a long time. A relentless runner, a penalty-box predator, a forward built for high-tempo football. He has been linked to Spurs before; now his name is firmly attached to Arsenal’s late-window plans.

According to The Telegraph, sporting director Andrea Berta recently sat down with Galatasaray to discuss their pursuit of Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri. The Turkish side have already seen a £38.4 million bid for Martinelli rejected, but Arsenal are open to the idea of cashing in on the Brazilian if the right deal emerges – including the possibility of using him in a swap.

During those talks, the idea of Osimhen moving in the opposite direction, from Galatasaray to Arsenal, was raised. It is not clear who pushed the name onto the table: whether Berta asked about him, or whether Galatasaray effectively signalled that the striker could be prised away for the right price and structure.

The theory was simple enough. Martinelli plus money. Osimhen to north London. A blockbuster trade to reshape Arsenal’s attack.

Then came the block.

Per The Athletic, Martinelli’s camp have told Arsenal he has no interest in joining Galatasaray. That stance effectively kills off any player-plus-cash formula involving him in a deal for Osimhen. The Brazilian stays put for now, and Arsenal’s pursuit of a marquee striker becomes more complicated.

The interest in Osimhen, though, underlines the scale of Arsenal’s ambition up front. They are not just looking for depth. They are looking for a game-changer.

Quansah on the radar as defensive gaps appear

At the other end of the pitch, another problem has emerged before a ball has been kicked in anger.

William Saliba will miss the opening months of the campaign. Jurrien Timber, who can cover centrally and at right-back, is also sidelined. Arteta’s defensive structure – usually so stable – suddenly looks thin in crucial areas.

That is where Jarell Quansah comes in.

Arsenal have registered an interest in the 23-year-old England international, currently at Bayer Leverkusen. Multiple reports describe talks as exploratory rather than advanced, but the profile is exactly what Arsenal want: a defender comfortable at centre-back and right-back, capable of slotting into different shapes without a drop in quality.

There is a complication baked into any move. BBC Sport reports that Liverpool inserted a clause when they sold Quansah to Leverkusen last summer for an initial £30 million, giving them the option to match any bid that arrives. For now, the same report states Liverpool have no intention of triggering that right. The door, at least in theory, is open.

Leverkusen, though, will not let him go cheaply. The Guardian reports they are holding out for a minimum of £43 million. That figure reflects both his development and the growing market for versatile defenders who can handle Premier League intensity.

Arsenal’s interest in Quansah is also shaped by another pursuit. Ezri Konsa has been on their list, but Aston Villa’s £60 million valuation has pushed that move towards the edge of what the club is willing to spend. Konsa remains admired, yet the numbers are heavy. Quansah, at a lower price point and with positional flexibility, looks like the more realistic path.

So Arsenal stand here: one eye on Osimhen, one on Quansah, juggling budgets, clauses and player preferences as the window ticks down.

They have already shown they will wait for what they consider the right deal. The question now is whether that patience delivers the final pieces of a title-chasing squad, or leaves Arteta heading into another season just one or two signings short.