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The summer transfer window is open and Arsenal have a lot of work to do. Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta both know that eyes are firmly on them to deliver a trophy this season after the club underwent yet more change over the past 12 months.

Edu Gaspar's mid-season departure was unexpected and threw a spanner in the works during a problematic January window.

Arsenal have done their cultural reset and kicked on quicker than most expected.

In order to do that, reinforcement will be needed as well as additional quality. Arsenal lacked depth again last season after falling short narrowly in 2023/24. They addressed problems from the 2022/23 campaign but have since been found wanting.

The shallowness of options up front and behind Bukayo Saka were both exposed. Arteta's trust (or, again, lack of) in his wider squad also came out with fringe players being left in the cold for long stretches.

It is telling that of last summer's four signings, only Mikel Merino played over 1,000 Premier League minutes. Neto, who was one of two deadline day loan deals completed to fill holes temporarily, only played twice in all competitions - once in the Champions League and another in the Carabao Cup. Raheem Sterling, the other loanee, only started just seven in the league, clocking less than 600 minutes from 17 appearances and did not score.

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For one reason or another, Riccardo Calafiori disappointed as well. He managed 19 league games and 11 starts but was hampered by injuries throughout. When Arsenal needed to kick on from running Manchester City close, they did not really improve at all.

If anything, due to Gabriel Jesus, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Oleksandr Zinchenko all missing large periods through their own fitness problems, the squad was actually weaker. Calafiori was the big-money player coming in but in a position that Arsenal did not lack. His duties with Italy at the European Championship delayed a transfer whilst the same is true for Merino.

He never really settled into midfield and became most useful as a makeshift striker once Kai Havertz was ruled out with a season-ending hamstring injury. The sheer volume and severity of injuries cannot be predicted but Arsenal had been stretching their squad to the limit prior to last season and it came out here.

The struggles of summer 2024 cannot be repeated as Berta and Arteta look to address issues for now and last year in one window. It amounts to a lot of work.

. Finding a backup goalkeeper is crucial too, with David Raya's only current senior back-up options being Tommy Setford (19) and Karl Hein, who is set to return from a loan move to Real Valladolid. When Jorginho leaves - and possibly Thomas Partey - at the end of his contract, more will be needed as cover in the centre of the park.

The defence is well stacked but with doubts over the condition of Ben White and Tomiyasu, a large burden is being put on the shoulders of Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly. Jakub Kiwior came into his own at the end of the season but had been a potential player of interest to Serie A clubs for much of the past year.

It all paints the picture of this being a summer of great change at Arsenal. The good news is that it can all start now. Earlier than usual, FIFA's scheduling due to the Club World Cup means that the transfer window is open already.

Not that Arsenal have any need to conduct business before it shuts again for a week on June 10, but there is an opportunity for them to make a statement of intent. Liverpool, for example, have already announced Jeremie Frimpong with work being done for Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez.

Arne Slot's men are also in for Hugo Ekitike as they get ahead of the game by future-proofing and improving their squad. Arsenal must do the same as they move towards closing the gap on Liverpool.

That starts with Martin Zubimendi.

That deal can now be completed before the June 10 mini-deadline. The same goes for Joan Garcia at Espanyol.

Garcia is available on the cheap with a price of around £20million looking to be exceptional value for money. The same cannot be said for primary attacking target Nico Williams. His release clause is variable with interest rates but is thought to stand at around £49million.

The 22-year-old Athletic Club winger also has enormous wage demands which have so far put off teams. After the Europa League final in Bilbao, this summer will be defining for the Spaniard.

He has once more been given a huge price by Milan of close to £110million, according to some reports. An early move for him is surely out of the equation but that is not true for Viktor Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko.

Both players are much more likely to depart than Leao but still come with risk and quite a cost.

No matter what path Arsenal choose with their attackers, it is going to cost them plenty. The most commonly listed players of Zubimendi, Garcia, Williams, and Gyokeres would carry a combined fee of around £180million. That is a lot, but it is also the sort of cash Arsenal know they must spend in order to go a stage further.

How much, if any, of this gets, done before the window closes briefly will wait to be seen. After months of speculation, it can at least be completed.