Arsenal Transfers: 5 Players They Must Sign

Five additions who could help push Unai Emery's Gunners back into Top 4 contention.

Radja Nainggolan
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With Arsenal fans finally getting their wish last season and seeing someone in the Gunners dugout who wasn't named Arsene Wenger, 2018/19 got off to a flyer for the North London club.

Of course, the stunning start made by Unai Emery as Arsenal manager would eventually come to a halt, and the final months of the campaign saw them involved in a frantic race to secure a Top 4 spot and Champions League football. A frantic race that would ultimately end in disappointment as the Emirates side ended up in fifth place, which will see them play in the Europa League in 2019/20.

For Arsenal fans, however, there are so many bright spots in their team at the moment. The thing is, there's still that certain something lacking in key areas on the pitch. And that's clearly something that needs to be addressed before the current transfer window shuts should Emery's squad be wishing to be taken seriously as genuine Top 4 contenders.

With that in mind, then, here are five realistic options as to who Arsenal could sign as they look to push forward with their aspirations of having a fruitful, successful and (hopefully!) entertaining 19/20 season.

5. Donny Van De Beek (Ajax)

Matthijs de Ligt may have been the one usually grabbing the headlines during Ajax's fantastic Champions League campaign last season, but one of the Dutch giants' other key men was midfielder Donny van de Beek.

Bursting with energy, dynamic with his movement, and technically sound, van de Beek was so often at the heart of an 2018/19 Ajax campaign that saw the Amsterdam club once again win the Eredevisie and the KNVB Cup.

Able to play anywhere across the midfield, van de Beek is usually at his best when afforded the chance to break from midfield. With his ability to pick a pass and his eye for goal, the 22-year-old is a real handful for opponents.

For Arsenal, they're absolutely screaming out for an attacking midfield who can chip in with his fair share of goals and assists. Basically, they need an Aaron Ramsey replacement.

Given that Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan more often than not look like they simply cannot be arsed playing football these days, that dynamic creative midfield spark needs to come from somewhere else.

Sure, Arsenal have recently secured Real Madrid's Dani Ceballos on a one-year loan deal, but he's a player that often likes to sit deep and dictate a game. When it comes to offering an exciting midfield threat, though, Arsenal could do far worse than testing Ajax's nerve with a bid for Donny van de Beek.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.