Arsenal Decides Next 3 Signings As Arteta Goes Off Declan Rice And Moises Caicedo

Mikel Arteta has reportedly altered Arsenal’s summer transfer plans as the club seeks to address squad-depth issues.

The Gunners boss is no longer keen on spending at least £150million on West Ham’s Declan Rice and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo, instead opting for a broader range of good-value players.

Arteta has identified three new signings, including two defenders and a winger, to strengthen the squad. Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi is being considered as a defensive target, while a younger winger option is being sought after the club missed out on Mykhaylo Mudryk in January.

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Arsenal will need to pursue cut-price midfield options such as Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans and Chelsea’s Mason Mount, to free up funds for a wider-ranging recruitment drive.

Tielemans will be available on a free transfer after his contract expires soon, while Mount may also be available for a reasonable sum with just one year remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge.

The change in strategy comes after Arsenal’s recent loss to Manchester City, which left them with just a two-point lead in the Premier League title race.

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Just a few weeks ago, Arteta and co were powering towards a long-awaited Premier League title with a healthy lead over Manchester City.

An injury to centre-back William Saliba has hit them where it hurts, however, and Arsenal were dominated by the Sky Blues in their hotly-anticipated showdown earlier this week.

That has left Pep Guardiola’s City side just two points behind, with two games in hand and vastly superior momentum. The power shift has supposedly prompted Arteta and sporting director Edu to rethink their summer plans.

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According to The Sun, the Gunners boss is cooling on the idea of spending at least £150million on Rice and Caicedo as he feels other areas of the squad need strengthening too.

The Gunners are hoping that a wider recruitment drive will provide much-needed depth to the squad and secure their place at the top of the table.

However, it remains to be seen whether they can successfully secure their transfer targets and achieve their goals for the summer.