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The new Arsenal manager remains unconfirmed. According to Skysports, Arsenal is holding talks with a former player, Mikel Arteta, who could be the next manager. The Gunners are not the only side without a manager as the summer transfer window officially opens. Over the week, Everton has parted ways with Sam Allardyce and West Ham has sacked David Moyes.
Despite all the talk about who will be Wenger's replacement, the club is also focusing on new signings which could be made in the coming weeks. Since Sven Mislnant joined the Gunners, he has been having a huge say in the signings made. The German scout has recommended many players to the board and could be paving way for even more.
After a poor performing season, Arsenal is in desperate need of a revamp especially in terms of defense and goalkeeping. Recent talks have been focused on five players who could sign for Arsenal soon. Here is a look at the five possible targets and what they can bring for the Gunners.
#5 Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen)
Arsenal finally understands that the club needs a new goalkeeper. Petr Cech has not been great since joining the team. Even as John Terry mentioned that the former Chelsea man will save the Gunners 12 to 15 points, that seems unlikely to happen. The English Premier League side has conceded far too many goals as compared to their opponents and require an alert shot-stopper.
Leno, who is 26 years old, plays for Bayer Leverkusen. His contract with the Bundesliga club lasts until 2020, but the German keeper is said to be keen to move to the Emirates. The club has identified him as a long-term successor to Petr Cech's role between the poles and Ospina could be packing his bags this summer. This paves the way for a new goalie to join the team.
Standing at 1.9m, Leno is good in the air and has an average claim success of 100%. At Bundesliga this season, he conceded an average of 1.23 goals in his 30 appearances. This is far better than Cech's record of 1.41 goals conceded per match in 32 games.
Having been included in Joachim Low's World Cup provisional squad, negotiations would have to take place quickly if Arsenal wants to sign him as the player could spend his summer in Russia. With Manuel Neuer still having injury concerns, Leno could have a role to play in the upcoming competition.
The goalkeeper is one of the possible signings that Arsenal could make in the summer as the club looks to invest in a goalkeeper.
#4 Caglar Soyuncu (Freiburg)
Recent rumors state that Arsenal is prepared to sign the Turkish international player. Despite just being 21-years-old, Soyuncu has made a name in Bundesliga. The defender joined Freiburg in summer 2016 and has since made 50 Bundesliga appearances.
Arsenal is likely to focus on bolstering the club's defense after conceding 51 Premier League goals this season and missing out on Champions League once again. After Arsene Wenger had acknowledged that there was little left to play for in the Premier League, he had handed game time to Calum Chambers, Rob Holding and Kostas Mavropanos.
The three young defenders were given the opportunity to adapt to the league's standards and prepare themselves for the next season.
If Soyuncu joins Arsenal, he will be part of the club's long-term investment. The young defender is known for his pace and range of passing. With him around, he will provide even more competition in the team and may become an instant hit in Premier League.
#3 Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)
Koulibaly is targeted by the Arsenal club together with team-mate Jorginho. The latter is set to join Manchester City after confirmation from his agent. Arsenal is not the only Premier League club interested in signing Koulibaly, with Chelsea and Liverpool keen too.
Having vast experience in Serie A, he could be a promising defender in the Premier League. Standing at 1.93m, he will be one of the tallest defenders if Arsenal signs him. Arsenal has struggled to defend set-pieces this season and one reason was that of the lack of aerial strength. With him around, he will be able to mark the taller opponents surrounding him and provide more stability at the back.
One great thing about Koulibaly is his great display of fitness throughout the many seasons. Arsenal will require defenders who can play on a weekly basis and recover quickly from fatigue. At 26 years of age, it is really his prime time to make a move to the Premier League and Arsenal could convince him.
#2 Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund)
The 29-year-old Greek national has been eyed by the Arsenal team. Since joining Borussia Dortmund in 2013, he has made 130 appearances and scored seven goals. At the time of his transfer to the Bundesliga club, Dortmund paid 9.5 million euros for him.
Now, the centre-back is coming close to the end of his contract and Arsenal is keen to get him this summer. According to various reports, Arsenal will have to pay 20 million euros for him. If the deal does go through, he is expected to be able to settle well into the club with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan also from Dortmund.
He had a pass accuracy of 87% and his average duels won stands at 58%. Those statistics are slightly better than that of Shkodran Mustafi who had a pass accuracy of 86% and won an average of 53% of his duels. The best thing about Sokratis is that he loves to defend and does not hesitate little when going in for challenges.
If Arsenal is able to get him, he will surely become a great addition to the team.
#1 Jean Michael Seri (Nice)
Arsenal has reportedly held talks with the player's agent over the week with regards to a possible move to the club this summer. Besides the Gunners, Chelsea and Liverpool are both said to be interested in the player too. Based on the cumulative statistics from Transfermarkt, 26-year-old has played 42 games all season, scoring two goals and providing 10 assists for his team.
From his style of play, Seri can become a creator from the deep. Playing him alongside Granit Xhaka will probably be one of the best options if he does join the Gunners. Similar to Xhaka, Seri is extremely good in passing the ball around and playing long balls forward.
Ever since Santi Cazorla got injured, Arsenal lacks a midfielder who is capable of dictating the play from deep. Seri could be the replacement that Arsenal is searching for.
The Ivory Coast midfielder has a release clause of 35 million pounds which Arsenal is capable of meeting with ease. He may not be the best player who can stop the play of his opponents, but he is certainly capable of having a huge presence in the midfield.
